A Match Of My Own
by MTK4FUN
Summary: Born in District Two, Katniss and her sister Prim move to District Twelve when their widowed mother accepts a marriage proposal from Henry Mellark, an old classmate.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **In District Twelve**

It was unusual that the bakery would close mid-day. But today was different. The Mellark family had a visitor – all the way from the Capitol.

Effie Trinket, a matchmaker from The Capitol Matchmaker's Group, had arrived to consult with Henry Mellark about finding a wife. She brought a photo book filled with pictures of unattached women.

Peeta hoped that his dad would choose a bride that was more conservative than Miss Trinket, who stuck out like a sore thumb in District 12. It was impossible to guess the age of the woman who sat beside his father at the family's dining table. Garish-colored clothing, heavy make-up, and a golden wig hid the woman underneath it all. In a certain light she looked not much older than his own nineteen years, but then again she could be forty.

His father thumbed quickly through the album, all the time muttering to himself. "He said she was here…he said..." Suddenly Henry stopped on a page. A smile came to his lips as he studied it carefully. "Yes, that's her.

"Miss Trinket, this is the woman I want – Lily Everdeen."

The Mellark family cat had been pacing the floor, but he jumped up onto the table at the very moment his master identified his wife-to-be. He came to Henry's side and rubbed up against his arm, as if to distract him.

"Not now Buttercup." Henry gently lifted the cat up and placed him back onto the floor.

"Let me see that." Twenty-one-year-old Rye, reached across the table and grabbed the book before his father could stop him. He turned it around so that he and Peeta could take a look.

A grainy, color photograph of a woman stared back at the brothers. The middle-aged woman was attractive, with short blonde-hair and blue eyes, but Peeta detected sadness in her expression.

"Why her?" he asked his father. To his youthful eyes she looked the same as every other housewife that frequented their family's bakery.

"I know her." The excitement in their father's voice caused Rye to give Peeta a nervous glance.

"Lily was born here," Henry continued. "We went to school together. I must confess I had a big crush on her back then. But I doubt she even noticed me.

"Her parents ran the old apothecary. She married a fellow from the Seam and moved to District Two right after the wedding. The War for Independence from the Capitol had just ended and new job opportunities were opening up throughout the country."

Peeta wished those same opportunities still existed so he could take advantage of them. Unfortunately the districts had ended their open door policy years ago when immigration grew lopsided. Seems everyone wanted to live in the nicer, better-off districts, and the residents of those districts didn't like the outsiders taking their jobs.

"It sounds like we have a match for you then." Effie pulled a clipboard and a pen out of the briefcase by her side. "Could I see that page please?"

Rye turned the book around and shoved it back towards the matchmaker.

Effie began writing, but suddenly set her pen down and frowned. "Oh, dear, I wish I'd noticed this sooner."

She threw Henry an apologetic look. "I'm afraid this page is out-of-date. Lily Everdeen registered with our company six years ago. The chances that she's still available are very slim.

"Oh, I wish corporate would keep these books properly updated," she muttered.

A glum expression came over Henry. "But you will look into it, Miss Trinket won't you? Lily and I are the same age. The other women in this book are much too young for me. I'm not looking to start a second family. I just want someone to grow old with."

A determined look came over Effie Trinket. She cleared her throat. "I most certainly will, Mr. Mellark. If Lily Everdeen is still available and willing, she shall be your bride. I promise it."

Effie turned the page over to study the information on the back of the photo. "It mentions that she has children, though, two daughters. Judging from the date when she applied, I'm guessing the oldest would be about nineteen now, and the younger one fifteen. Would that be a problem?"

"No." Henry looked across the table to his sons. "Haven't you always wanted sisters?"

Rye hooted. "Can't say I have Dad."

"The older one might be married by now anyway," Effie pointed out.

Henry turned back to the matchmaker. "Lily Everdeen's daughters are welcome here if she wants to bring them. Peeta could move into Rye's room and the girls could take Peeta's room.

Rye groaned. "Hell no, Dad. Peeta yells in his sleep."

Peeta glared at his brother.

"We'll talk about it later son, let's not bother Miss Trinket with our family business."

"Oh, I've got to be going, anyway" the woman said. "Haymitch Abernathy is expecting me at Victor's Village." She closed the album, picked it up, and set it into her briefcase.

"The Mockingjay is looking for a wife?" Rye chortled. "Who would marry him? Didn't the war mess him up real bad?"

Effie Trinket slammed her briefcase shut. Her mouth formed into a thin, angry line.

Henry glared at Rye. "That's none of your business son. Haymitch Abernathy has had a complicated life being the last victor of _The Hunger Games_ and the linchpin for the War of Independence. He deserves to be happy too."

Henry looked to the matchmaker. "I'm so sorry for my son's rudeness. Haymitch and I go way back. We went to school together. He's a good man."

Effie gave Henry a small smile. "He is."

"I hope to hear from you soon," Henry said as he led her downstairs to see her out.

The argument started when he came back upstairs.

"Why do you need to get re-married anyway?" Rye asked. "If you're looking for a good time, there are plenty of women in Twelve who'd be willing to give you one."

Henry's face went red.

"I'm looking for far more than a _good time_ , Rye. I'm looking for a _wife_. A companion. Something you ought to be considering as well. It's time you settled down instead of gallivanting around. You should be looking for a girl who could help you run this bakery when I'm too old to do it."

Rye rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I'll settle down one day. I'm just having a little fun right now." He shook his head at his father. "But honestly, why call in The Capitol Matchmaker's Group? That outfit can't be cheap."

"There's no one in Twelve that interests me, and believe me, I've noticed every available, unmarried woman in this district."

Peeta's jaw dropped at his father's words. He never would have guessed _that_ about his dad. He sounded as bad as Rye.

"And the financing of it is none of your business either."

"But…"

"I'm not discussing this any longer, you're giving me a headache," Henry cut in. "Now go downstairs and turn over that `closed' sign on the door. We need to get back to work."

Peeta walked over to the small table in the back corner of the bakery's kitchen. He sat on a stool, creating flowers that would be used to adorn a toasting cake. He loved baking and was more talented than his father and his brother combined, but there was no future for him at the bakery.

The eldest son was the heir to a family's business, leaving the other sons scrambling to find employment.

When their mother and oldest brother Phyl died in an explosion at the train station three years earlier, Rye's future had been ensured. He'd automatically gone to the front of the line as heir apparent.

"So what do you think of her?" Peeta startled as his brother came up behind him hissing.

"Who?"

"Lily Everdeen."

"I don't know. Six years is a long time. She's probably married to someone else by now."

"But what if she isn't? I sure don't want a stepmother." Rye caught his eye and Peeta could read his thoughts. _Cause our real mother was bad enough._

Their mother had been plain mean to all of them, her husband included. It made Peeta wonder why his Dad would even _want_ another wife. But perhaps he was hoping for someone better this time around. _And if he found the girl he'd had a crush on in school…_

"And I sure don't want any sisters either," Rye added. A sly smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Although that's something I've never had the opportunity to explore."

"You're vile," Peeta said, bumping his shoulder into his brother's chest. "Now let me be. I have to finish these flowers."

Rye left and Peeta shuddered at the thought of his brother taking advantage of their step-siblings, although he wouldn't put it past him. Ever since their mother's death, Rye had garnered the reputation of a womanizer in Twelve. He'd taken so many girls to the slag heap that if Peeta ever were to marry, he'd have a hard time finding a girl who hadn't shared at least a few kisses with his brother.

Peeta might have cared about it once, but after losing the lower portion of his left leg in the same explosion that killed his mother and brother, he'd given up expecting much of a future. Who would hire a cripple? What girl would marry one? If he were _very_ lucky, perhaps Rye would let him stay on at the bakery after their father retired and he took charge. Maybe Peeta could put a cot in the tiny office to sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **In District Two**

Lily Everdeen read the letter in her hand, a look of relief appearing on her face. All the tension of the past few weeks was gone. She set it down as she coughed into her bent elbow.

Katniss stood in the doorway watching her mother and wondering who had written. She grabbed the bottle of medicine and a spoon as her mother's hacking escalated.

Lily had developed a nasty cough a few months ago. None of her homeopathic remedies had worked to stop it. Reluctantly, she'd visited a licensed doctor who had been trained in the Capitol. When Katniss had questioned her about the diagnosis she'd showed Katniss a bottle of medicine.

"He said this might help."

In Katniss' opinion, the medicine was worthless. If anything, her mother's health had worsened.

Once her mother stopped coughing, she turned to Katniss, her face growing solemn. "We need to talk before Prim gets home from school."

The serious tone in her mother's voice caused a shiver to run down Katniss' back. She sat down across from her.

Lily picked up the letter. "I've had an offer of marriage from a man I went to school with in District Twelve. I've decided to accept it."

"What?" It was the last thing Katniss could have imagined. She reached for the letter. Three train tickets were attached to it. What _had_ her mother done?

She read quickly.

 _I'm glad you've accepted my offer. I've been widowed for three years now and am very lonely. My grown sons, Rye and Peeta are excited to meet you and your daughters. Twelve has changed so much since you left Lily. You'll hardly recognize it. I know we will be happy together._

Furious, Katniss set down the letter. "How did this come about?"

Her mother burst into another fit of coughing. Katniss stood up to get her some water. Once Lily was breathing freely again, she explained.

"Two years after your father died, I registered my name with The Capitol Matchmakers Group. I knew it was a long shot that I'd get selected because I was older and had you and Prim. But the business wasn't doing very well at that point and I thought if I could remarry we'd all be better off."

If her mother _had_ remarried things would certainly have gone differently, although the damage would have already been done. Katniss' childhood effectively ended at age eleven when her father died in a quarry accident.

Lily had fallen into a deep depression, causing Katniss to take over the running of the household. She had sold off everything that had value, and then turned to raising a garden to feed her family.

Katniss had also studied an old book that her mother had taken from her parents' apothecary shop in Twelve. The parchment pages were covered in ink drawings of plants and written information about where to gather them, when they came into bloom, and their medical uses.

One plant mentioned in the book was supposed to treat melancholy. Desperate to help her mother, Katniss located the plant growing in the woods in Two, gathered it, crushed it, and made a tea for Lily. Slowly, over a few months, her mother came back to herself.

Once Lily was better, she began to study the old book too. She expanded on Katniss' idea and opened a small business making healing teas for other conditions, as well. It didn't pay much, but it kept the family together.

Since graduating school, Katniss had come onboard full-time to help her mother. She gathered all the plants that her mother turned into teas, and also kept charge of the account books to ensure that the district and Capitol taxes were paid. The accounting work took up a lot of time as the tax system in Panem was quite complex.

"We can't up and leave," she argued with her mother. "What about our business? Besides, Mom, you're sick. Don't you think you should concentrate on getting better first, instead of planning a wedding?"

Lily shook her head. "There is no cure, Katniss. I'm dying. The doctor said my lungs are failing. I'm going ahead with this marriage to help you and your sister."

Katniss' throat tightened. _How could this be happening?_ Her eyes filled with tears as her mother continued.

"Henry Mellark is a good person. He'll take care of you and Prim when I'm gone. Maybe you can restart the business in Twelve, or work for Henry. He owns a bakery."

"You're… are you sure, Mom? Maybe you should see another doctor."

Her mother shook her head. "I know it's hard news for you to hear, but don't be sad. I'm not. I'm looking forward to seeing your father again, soon."

Katniss gulped. "Does this man know about your health?"

Lily shook her head. She didn't meet Katniss' eyes. "I'm not going to tell him either."

"But what if he doesn't help? What if he throws us out after…?" Katniss' voice dropped off. She couldn't say the words. It couldn't be real.

Lily shook her head. "Henry's kind. He wouldn't do that."

Katniss scowled. How could her mother _know_ that? She hadn't seen the man in years. How could she _be sure_?

"This is for the best. I would feel so much better about everything if I knew there was someone protecting you and Prim when I'm no longer here. And since you ended things with Cato…"

Katniss flushed. She'd never told her mother or even her sister why she had abruptly stopped seeing Cato Ableman, the man she'd dated for a few months after graduation. She'd been too ashamed.

She'd discovered that Cato had been involved with both her and a former classmate, Clove Sanders, at the same time. That had been demoralizing enough, but when she investigated further she learned that Cato and Clove had taken things much further than simple "dating." When Katniss had confronted Cato, he'd not only admitted it, _but he blamed her for it._

"I have _needs_ , Katniss. Clove's on fire; she's not an ice queen like you."

Enraged, Katniss had told him exactly what he could do with his _needs_. But the entire situation had left her feeling stupid and naive, doubting her own attractiveness, and suspicious of every man who showed the least interest in her.

She couldn't help but wish that her father were still alive to set Cato straight about how a young man should treat a woman he claimed to care about. In her most despairing moments she had even given into her baser feelings and fantasized about her father beating Cato up.

It didn't help that her mother kept mentioning her former boyfriend, implying that Katniss had made a mistake in breaking up with him. Her mother had seen Cato as a "catch" because his family was well off. His father was a well-known stone carver whose work was displayed throughout Panem. Cato would take over that business one day.

Eager to change the subject, Katniss asked, "What are you going to tell Prim?"

"I'll tell her about the wedding and the move to Twelve," her mother replied. "But please don't mention my diagnosis. I'll tell her later, after we get settled in Twelve."

Reluctantly, Katniss agreed.

Letters flew back and forth between the newly engaged couple. While Henry Mellark was eager to wed Lily, the Everdeen's had loose ends to tie up before they left Two, including the sale of the contents of their household. Lily also insisted on the purchase of some new clothing for all three of them so they would appear presentable when they arrived in Twelve. By mid-August they were ready to go.

They got on the train at night. It was easier that way because they couldn't see the home they were leaving behind. Prim sat next to their mother. Katniss sat across the aisle from them. She fell asleep, rocked by the train hurrying down the rails. She was dreaming of the woods in Two when a scream awoke her in the early morning.

Prim! Katniss' eyes flew open. She was confused for a moment because she didn't recognize her surroundings. She lay in the reclined train seat.

The conductor was rushing down the aisle. Katniss turned to her mother and Prim. Her heart leapt as she saw her sister slapping their mother's face. "Wake up Mama, wake up."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The conductor notified the engineer who stopped the train on a siding so that Lily's body could be carried outside and then loaded onto the baggage car at the rear. Katniss moved to her mother's seat to comfort her sister.

Her mind was reeling. What were they going to do when they got to Twelve? How could she ever repay Henry Mellark for the price of three train tickets? There wasn't much cash left. Where would they live?

She held her crying sister, as numbness settled over her. She could think of only one solution to the mess in which they found themselves. It made her ill to think about.

The train slowed as it got closer to the station in District 12. Alongside the tracks were thousands and thousands of dandelion puff-balls, ready to spread their seeds as soon as the wind began to blow.

The buildings in the distance looked smaller and shabbier in comparison to those Katniss had grown up around, although the station ahead appeared quite modern.

A few people were on the platform when the train came to a halt. Without an introduction, Katniss easily located Henry Mellark. A tall, broad-shouldered man with fair, wispy hair holding a bouquet of droopy pink lilies. He was dressed in a suit and flanked by two young men that Katniss guessed were his sons.

One was as tall as his father, but much leaner. There was an air of impatience about him – as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and crossed his arms. He wore a smirk on his narrow face.

The other son was the shortest of the three men. His frame was stocky and his friendly face was broad. His longish, ash-colored hair, fell across his forehead in waves. He rubbed at the back of his neck with the flat of his hand.

"What do you want us to do with her?" the conductor leaned in to whisper to Katniss.

"I need to get off and make arrangements," she choked out. She pointed toward the Mellarks.

"Let's get off, Little Duck." She reached for Prim's hand like she was three-years old, and set off down the aisle. She stepped down from the train and pulled Prim along. The temperature was warm, the air stagnant on the platform. She headed straight for the man with the flowers.

"Excuse me, are you Henry Mellark?"

The man nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "You must be Katniss and Prim." His eyes flickered nervously, shifting back toward the train car. "But where is Lily?"

Katniss took a deep breath. "Our mother died in her sleep on the train last night."

Prim inhaled deeply, a sob catching in her throat.

Henry Mellark's face froze. He bit his lip as his eyes filled with tears. One hand flew to his temple and he rubbed his skin forcefully.

"It's all right, Mr. Mellark," Katniss continued. "You'll still get a wife. I'll marry you."

The tall son beside him gasped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Katniss Everdeen, who would no longer become Peeta's stepsister, but proposed to become his stepmother, was easily the most attractive woman he'd ever seen.

The petite beauty was trembling in front of them, but her sorrowful mien only highlighted her good looks. Her gray eyes shone brightly as she wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. Her dark hair was coming out of the loose plait that hung over her shoulder. It was all Peeta could do to keep from reaching out to stroke the end of the braid, to feel that silky hair between his fingers.

Was Katniss serious about marrying his father? Would his dad take her up on her offer?

He hoped not because for the first time since he'd lost his leg, Peeta felt a desire to aim higher than a future of sleeping on a lonely cot in the bakery office.

He exchanged a quick glance with his brother. Rye's mouth hung open. He appeared dumbfounded, seemingly astonished by Katniss' words.

Her younger, blonde-haired sister burst into loud sobs jolting Peeta from his thoughts.

Reacting immediately, his father threw his arms around the distraught girl. "There, there," he murmured.

Prim was taller and bigger-boned than Katniss. She buried her head into his father's chest and wept.

The stationmaster came up to the group. "The conductor needs to know what you want us to do with the lady's remains."

At his blunt words, Prim let out a sharp cry. Katniss blinked several times and went paper white.

Henry frowned, and turned to Rye. "Go get our cart from the shed."

His brother bolted off.

Henry unwrapped himself from Prim. Still clutching the flowers in one hand, he spoke to Katniss. "I'll take care of this. Stay here with my son Peeta."

Not knowing what to say to the distraught sisters, Peeta pointed to a nearby bench so they could at least sit.

Katniss sat down next to Prim. Prim leaned into Katniss' shoulder and continued to cry, while Katniss stroked at the back of her hair. Peeta sat on the other side of the younger girl. Turning his body slightly, to give the sisters a semblance of privacy, his eyes followed his father and the stationmaster as they set off walking toward the baggage car at the rear of the train.

Prim continued to whimper for a while, but eventually she stopped. She pulled her face from Katniss' shoulder and wiped at her eyes, before looking around. "This station looks new, not like the one at home."

Relieved to talk about anything other than the situation at hand, Peeta turned his body toward them, "it _is_ new."

"How could Twelve afford a new station?" Katniss asked.

"The Capitol paid for it. It came out of what was left of the War Reparations Fund."

Katniss shook her head. "But the war ended twenty-five years ago. Why would they give your district money now?"

"Rebels buried land mines deep along the tracks in front of the station during the war and in the confusion afterwards the mines were forgotten. Three years ago, heavy rains washed them close to the surface. They went off one morning when the train pulled in."

Both sisters' gasped.

"Was anyone hurt?" Prim asked.

It suddenly dawned on Peeta that this line of conversation had been a mistake because now he was going to have to pass along more disturbing news to the grieving sisters. But maybe they already knew. Maybe his father had written to their mother about it. At any rate they'd find out sooner or later.

"Ten people died, including my mother and oldest brother."

"Oh no," Prim said.

"I'm so sorry," Katniss murmured. "How awful for you." The look on her face was one of compassion and Peeta marveled at how quick she was to comfort him when she was hurting herself.

He kicked himself for not offering the sisters his condolences for their loss when they sat down. It would have been the polite thing to do. But he'd been astounded by her offer to marry his father and mesmerized by her appearance. He hadn't been thinking clearly at all.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "It _was_ awful. They're planning to put a memorial stone out in front of the station one of these days to remember everyone by."

 _As if anyone in Twelve needed a marker to remember the tragedy._ Peeta thought about it every time he attached and removed his prosthesis. He tapped his hand nervously on the place where his stump connected to his false limb. He wasn't ready to tell Katniss and Prim about that particular piece of collateral damage.

The two sisters fell silent and Peeta wished he had kept his mouth shut. What must they be thinking of him talking about his family's loss when their mother had just died? He didn't know what to say now. He rubbed at the back of his neck.

Fortunately Rye returned with the cart pulling it up to the bench where they sat. "Where's Dad?"

Peeta stood up quickly, eager to get away, worried that if he stayed any longer that he'd make an even bigger fool of himself. "He went off with the stationmaster to the rear of the train."

He looked to Katniss and Prim. "Wait here."

Peeta took hold of one handle of the cart and set off with Rye.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the Everdeens, Rye blurt out. "Holy hell. Do you think she's going to be our stepmother?"

Without waiting for Peeta to answer, Rye continued. "It's a damn shame if she marries Dad. He wouldn't have the first idea what to do with her. Boy, I wouldn't mind getting a crack at her though."

Bile rose in Peeta's throat at the thought of his brother and Katniss. "You've already marked all the girls in Twelve. Why don't you leave her alone? Her mother just died, for crying out loud."

Yet even as he said the words, Peeta worried that Rye would get his wish. If Katniss were like every other girl, she'd easily succumb to his brother's charms.

"What? Do you like her Peet?"

 _He did like her, but it was pointless. In his current situation, he had no chance of winning a girl like her._

"There he is," Peeta said, distracting his brother. He pointed toward one of the last cars on the train. His father had a clipboard in hand and was filling out some paperwork.

"It is quite unfortunate," the stationmaster was saying. "They wrapped her in a blanket, but with the heat, you'll likely want to bury her today."

"We'll see to it," Henry replied grimly. He turned to his sons. "Boys take Mrs. Everdeen to the graveyard. Tell Mr. Duggan to inter her immediately. And go the long way round the station. I don't want her daughters to see you carrying their mother off. I'll get their luggage back to the bakery."

"All right," Rye said.

Henry handed the bouquet of limp lilies to Peeta. "Ask him to place these flowers on the grave."

Peeta nodded in agreement.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Peeta left, Prim turned to Katniss. "He seems kind of nervous."

"He probably is." Katniss guessed Peeta wasn't interested in having a stepmother his same age. But then she wasn't so keen on it either.

"Are you really going to marry Mr. Mellark?

"If he wants me."

Prim frowned.

After a long wait Henry Mellark returned, followed by a boy pulling a wagon that contained the large trunk containing all their worldly possessions.

"I've taken care of everything," he said. "Your mother will be buried this afternoon. Let me get you two home to the bakery."

Katniss suddenly remembered something. "Just a minute." She walked over to the wagon and opened the trunk, pulling out a cardboard box. She handed it to Henry. "Can you bury her with this?"

A curious look passed over Henry's face as he reached for it. "What's inside the box?"

"Our father's ashes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Henry, as he'd asked them to call him, took them back to the family's living quarters over the bakery. He'd showed them a small bedroom and told them to unpack their trunk.

They ate dinner with him and his sons, although only Rye and Peeta seemed to have any appetite. Katniss listened half-heartedly to the men's small talk around the table.

In the short time since they'd met, she agreed with her mother's thoughts about Henry Mellark. He _was_ kind. If he wanted to marry her, she had no doubt he'd treat her decently. _Not that she wanted a loveless match to a man old enough to be her father._

She wasn't sure what to think about his two sons though. Rye, the older one, had gotten upset when his father told him that he should stay home for the evening. He spent the remainder of the meal staring at her, as if he were sizing her up. It caused her to look away in discomfort.

Peeta, the younger son, who had been chatty enough at the station, seemed to have lost his tongue.

The Mellark's tomcat, which bore the girlish name of Buttercup, paced the room during the meal.

Afterwards, Prim had jumped off her chair to pick him up and cuddle him. She was immediately taken with the ugly creature with his mashed in nose and partial left ear.

"Was he in a fight?" Prim asked.

Henry shook his head. "We found him at the train station when we dug out…"

He didn't finish the sentence, instead his eyes filled with tears.

Katniss guessed it was after the explosion that killed part of his family. She looked to Peeta for confirmation. He nodded grimly.

Prim spent the evening playing with the cat, dragging a piece of string along the ground that the cat would pounce on, while Henry spoke about Lily when she was young. Katniss was astounded to learn that her mother used to take care of injured animals. It was as if Henry was describing another person altogether.

After he'd finished telling them about Lily saving an ailing squirrel, he turned the conversation to her mother's health. Had she been ill recently?

Katniss told of her mother's cough but didn't tell him about Lily's terminal diagnosis. Didn't mention that her mother had deliberately used Henry to get her daughters to Twelve.

"Prim, would you carry Buttercup downstairs for me?" Henry asked. "We lock him up in the kitchen at night to keep away mice. Peeta show her where to put the cat."

As soon as they left, Henry turned to Katniss. "Look I understand you're suffering from a terrible shock. Believe me everyone in this house is quite familiar with loss. We've had enough of it over the last few years.

"I don't know what happens next but I don't want you thinking you need to marry an old man to make up for your mother's death. You're a lovely girl, but you're far too young for me. You'd be much happier settling down with someone closer to your own age, like my son Rye here."

Katniss noted that Rye gulped at his dad's comment.

"I can do my own courting Dad." Rye licked his lips and leered at Katniss, causing her to turn away in embarrassment.

"Is that what you're doing at the slag heap?" Henry asked.

He turned back to Katniss. "Do you have any family left in Twelve? I know your mother's family is gone, but perhaps on your father's side?"

"Not that I know about," Katniss said. Her father had never talked of his family and Katniss had assumed that everyone had died before her parents had relocated to District Two.

"Of course, you and your sister will stay with us then."

Before Katniss could clarify _how long_ they could stay because surely he couldn't mean _permanently_ , Prim had returned with Peeta.

"It's been a long day," Henry said. "Why don't you two turn in? I'll take you both to the cemetery tomorrow so you can pay your respects to your mother."

The sisters lay in bed talking and crying. Between tears, Katniss told her sister that Henry had refused her offer of marriage.

Prim smiled. "I like Peeta the best."

"You're too young," Katniss chided her.

"Not for me."

Katniss shook her head.

Prim soon fell asleep, but Katniss was awake a long time, a single thought racing through her mind. _What are we going to do now?_

In the middle of the night, she woke after hearing a man cry out as if he were in pain. She hoped it wasn't Henry. But who else could it be? She closed her eyes and concentrated on Prim's steady breath. It lulled her back to sleep.

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While Katniss and Prim slept, the Mellarks were up at dawn to begin the day's baking.

"How long are they going to be here Dad?" Rye asked.

Peeta tilted his head to hear his father's reply. He was curious as well. What would happen to Katniss and Prim?

"I don't know," Henry said. "But they'll stay with us for now. It's the right thing to do. They've suffered a terrible loss."

"You've suffered a loss too Dad," Peeta pointed out. His father had dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes. He had to be greatly disappointed that his fiancé had died before they'd even met up again. He'd been excited for months about her arrival.

"I hadn't seen Lily in more than twenty-five years. I'm very sad about her death, but what I lost is a fantasy compared to the loss those girls have experienced. Their mother is gone. You boys know how hard that is."

Rye turned to Peeta and rolled his eyes. Peeta scowled at his brother. Likely the sisters had a good relationship with their mother, not the bitter one he and Rye had had with their's.

In their shared bedroom the previous evening, Rye had repeated what their father had said to Katniss. "He's not going to marry her."

Peeta wasn't surprised.

"He suggested she marry me instead."

Peeta had snorted loudly, but his stomach had dropped. Was Rye telling the truth? Probably. If his father was promoting one of his sons as a husband for Katniss, Rye was certainly the better choice since he would inherit the bakery.

"I don't care much for brunettes," Rye mused. "But I wouldn't mind taking her to the slag heap. Her sister's a little too young yet for me."

"For crying out loud Rye." His brother disgusted him sometimes.

Katniss and Prim came downstairs to the bakery around ten. Both Everdeen sisters had blood-shot eyes and blotchy faces, likely from crying.

"How can we help?" Katniss asked Henry.

"Sit down and have some breakfast first," he answered. "Then we'll visit the cemetery."

He turned to Peeta. "Get these girls something to eat."

Peeta had just pulled a tray of hot cheese buns from the oven. He picked up the two biggest ones and set them on plates. He put the plates down onto the large worktable in the center of the room. Then he pulled two high stools in front of them.

"Thank you," The grateful smile Katniss gave him warmed Peeta's heart, making him hope she'd forgotten about what a fool he'd been the previous day.

"Would you like some tea with your cheese bun?" he asked.

The two sisters nodded.

Peeta set the kettle onto the stove.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later when they'd finished eating, Henry left the shop with Katniss and Prim.

"The undertaker buried your mother, and ..er.. father yesterday," he said. "I thought you'd like to see the spot where they lay."

There was no marker in place, but the outline of fresh dirt topped with the bouquet of pink lilies made it clear where her parents rested.

"I'll have a stone placed on it," Henry said.

"You don't have to do that." Katniss was surprised at his generosity.

But Henry had already wandered off to another section of the large field that was dotted with dandelion puffs-balls before Katniss could finish speaking.

Seeing the freshly turned soil caused Prim to cry some more. When she'd stopped she whispered, "Do you think we should hold a ceremony to remember her?"

"A memorial service?" Katniss shook her head. "There's no one to attend but us and him." She pointed her chin in the direction in which Henry had walked off. "We can say our good-byes now."

"What are we going to do Katniss?"

"I'll figure something out, Little Duck. I don't want us to impose on Henry any longer than we have to."

"He seems very nice."

"He is." Guilt swept over Katniss about what her mother had done to trick him into saving them. It was wrong and the sooner they could move out of the Mellark household, the better Katniss would feel.

After saying their good-byes to _both_ parents, the sisters located Henry in another part of the cemetery. He was standing around a section with stone markers that read "Mellark."

"My wife and oldest son," Henry murmured, pointing to their graves. "Let's go," he said suddenly, pressing his hands to his temple. "My head is aching badly."

They walked back in silence. As they got nearer to town Katniss spoke. "We appreciate your hospitality Henry, but we're not your responsibility. Do you know of any businesses that might be hiring?"

Henry rubbed his hand against his temple. "Offhand, no. Your mother and I had thought you'd help out in the bakery when you got here. But if you're looking to earn wages…." His voice trailed off. "Remind me, what were you doing in Two for work again?"

"I helped my mother with her healing tea business. I gathered the plants and kept the account books."

"Ah, that's right, your mother mentioned it in her first letter to me. Unfortunately Twelve forbids the manufacturing and sale of medicinals by individuals; I suppose it's because the medicine factory here has taken control of that market and doesn't want competition. But you could pay them a visit. They might be hiring."

"Thank you. I'll check it out."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta worked in the back of the bakery, while Rye was at the front counter. Flirtatious banter flew back and forth between his brother and a customer, a woman who had recently gotten engaged to the grocer's son. Peeta wondered if she was one of Rye's former conquests. His brother was lucky nothing had happened to complicate his life so far because sometimes spreading seed could yield a harvest.

The back door opened and his father came in alone.

"Where are Katniss and Prim?" Peeta asked.

"I told them to take a walk and explore Twelve. I think Katniss planned to visit the medicine factory. I must say I like her. She seems very determined to take care of her sister and not be a burden. She's already out looking for work. I'm sure we can keep them busy here at the bakery until she can find a job."

Peeta paused. The sisters _were_ in a difficult position. It might be a long while until Katniss found employment. There weren't many job opportunities in Twelve. It was something he knew only too well. If only there was something he could do to make things easier for them.

Katniss and Prim arrived back at the bakery two hours later. Peeta and Rye were done baking for the day. They were cleaning up. Their father was in the small office working on the books.

"Can we help you?" Katniss asked.

Henry poked his head out from the tiny office. "Come in here Katniss. You said you had experience with business accounts. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"What is he doing?" Rye mouthed to Peeta.

Peeta shook his head. He guessed his father was trying to keep Katniss busy. Peeta handed a broom to Prim.

Work at the bakery was easier with more available hands. Henry showed Katniss how to do the books, a task he'd taken over after his wife's death.

He also showed Prim how to help customers at the front counter and ring up sales on the bakery's ancient cash register, another job his late wife had done.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"I like it here," Prim told Katniss one morning as they dressed in their bedroom. They'd been living with the Mellarks for almost two weeks.

"You know we can't stay," Katniss reminded her.

"But everyone is nice, and it smells so good here. And they have a cat."

Katniss scowled.

But she could think of no other alternative at present. She'd asked about employment at every business in town, but no one was hiring.

And the manager of the coalmine had turned her away flat, stating that pretty, young women like her were only a distraction to the male miners. "You'll just go off down a tunnel to sneak kisses."

Incensed at his assumption, she'd stormed off. But she was secretly relieved to be turned down for that job. Her father had worked in the mines for a short time before the start of the war and he'd called the work loathsome.

Her only hope was the medicine factory. The foreman had said he might be hiring in a few weeks. Katniss was appreciative to Henry for continuing to house and feed her and her sister. In fact, he treated them as if they were family. Of course they were helping out in the bakery to earn their keep. But the price of the three train tickets niggled at the back of her mind. They had been costly.

During the second week in September, Katniss enrolled Prim in school. Afterwards she paid a quick visit to the medicine factory to talk with the foreman again.

"We've had a some unexpected expenses recently. No new hires until next spring."

Katniss walked back to the bakery in despair. Henry found her crying over the books.

"Take a break dear. Grief is awful. It can sneak up on you…"

"It's not that," she sobbed. "We can't stay here. We're taking advantage of you."

Henry poked his head out to call to Peeta. "Get those loaves out of the oven for me."

He shut the office door. "You and Prim are helping us. I'm the one taking advantage of you because I'm not paying you and your sister a salary."

"I do your books, Henry. I know you can't afford to pay us. Besides you're providing us with a place to live and feeding us too. I just wish we ..."

Henry interrupted her. "Don't fret, we're happy to have you here. And there's an idea I've been mulling. But I'll have to have to talk it over with my son Rye first."

 _Rye_. Katniss' thoughts flew ahead. _What would he possibly have to talk over with Rye?_

She thought of the comment Henry had made that first evening they'd arrived, telling Rye that he should be thinking about taking a wife.

Did Henry want her to marry Rye? Was that why he'd trained her to keep the bakery's accounts?

Her stomach dropped. She didn't want to marry Rye Mellark. He was a brazen womanizer. He flirted with every woman that entered the bakeshop. He disappeared after dinner every evening, like a tomcat on the prowl. It would be like marrying Cato. She'd never be able to trust him.

"All right." Katniss wiped at her cheeks with her hands. She had to think of some other solution to their dilemma.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thump. Thump. Thump. Someone pounded at the shop door.

Dinner had ended, and Katniss and Prim washed dishes at the kitchen sink.

Henry shuffled a deck of cards at the dining table, while Peeta teased Buttercup with a piece of string.

Rye had gone out to "visit a friend."

Thump. Thump. Thump. The pounding continued.

"Get the door Peeta," Henry called.

Peeta dropped the string, letting the cat drag it around the room. He went downstairs to the front door of the shop. Two blurred figured showed through the frosted-glass inset in the door. He flipped on the light switch in the entry, unlocked the door, and pulled it open.

Brendan Cartwright, the shoemaker, and Delly, his only living child and the heir to his business, stood on the doorstep.

Brendan's jaw was clenched, his hand was holding so tightly to Delly's forearm that it would likely leave fingerprints. "I want to speak with Rye."

Peeta looked to his childhood friend. She avoided his eyes.

His stomach sank. Judging from Delly's demeanor this didn't bode well.

"He's not here sir."

"Who's there Peeta?" his father called down from the top of the stairs.

Peeta turned toward the staircase and yelled. "It's Mr. Cartwright."

His father hurried down and came up beside him.

"What's going on Brendan?"

"I want to speak to your son Rye." Brendan's voice seethed with anger.

"He went out. What's all this about?"

"Rye has disgraced my daughter. She's having a baby."

Holy hell, Peeta thought. _This changes everything_. Maybe, just maybe, he would have a shot at a future after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Go find your brother."

Peeta pushed past Brendan and Delly. He had a good idea of Rye's whereabouts. The slag heap.

It was located near the entrance to the mines, the trash pile for the leftovers from coal extraction. The make-out spot for the youth of District Twelve, it offered some privacy with its piles of refuse that formed tiny hillocks scattered over a large area.

Everyone knew of it, every mother warned of its evil, every teen-aged boy bragged of visiting there, a fair portion of first-born children in Twelve had been conceived in that place.

Peeta had never taken a girl there. He'd given up on himself after his injury. Girls who had shown an interest before the explosion were less interested now in a boy with a metal limb, at least it seemed that way to him.

Rye's popularity had soared after the explosion though. As the new heir to the bakery, he had his choice of girls. And without their mother around to keep him in line, he'd taken full advantage of it, too, flitting from girl to girl, like a bee pollinates flowers.

So Peeta had little doubt where to find his brother.

He caught Rye on the road to the mine. His brother was walking with the grocer's son's fiancée. Their hands were linked.

Rye jumped when Peeta tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The linked hands fell apart immediately.

"We need to talk. It's important."

"You better go home," Rye kissed his date's temple. "I'll be in touch."

The woman hurried past Peeta, dropping her head in embarrassment.

"Okay, what's going on? Why couldn't this wait until I got home?"

"Dad sent me to find you. Brendan Cartwright and Delly are at the door. He says Delly's pregnant."

His brother froze, grabbing at his hair and pulling it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He's at the shop door right now. Delly's in tears. For crying out loud Rye, why her?"

Delly had been a childhood playmate to the both of them. Her brother Sam had died in the explosion at the train station, leaving Delly the heir to her family's shoemaking business. That fact alone should have meant that suitors were lining up at her door.

But her unconventional looks – a pale complexion with hair so light that it appeared almost white at times, and a womanly figure that she hid under baggy clothing, combined with a father known throughout Twelve for his bad temper had kept any admirers away.

Still Delly was friendly and kind. The thought had even, for one very short moment after he graduated from school, crossed Peeta's mind that _he_ should wed her. At least he'd be assured of employment, his own business even. But he had no desire to be trained by Brendan Cartwright to be a shoemaker, and no attraction to his childhood friend.

What had Rye gotten himself into?

"Why Delly?" Peeta repeated.

"I don't know," Rye mumbled. "She was there. And willing. Eager even."

Peeta shook his head, disgusted with his brother.

"Maybe there was someone else."

"Do you really think so?" Peeta glared at his brother.

"No. Probably not. But it was only one time."

Peeta continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Okay, three times."

Again Peeta marveled that his brother hadn't run into this situation sooner. The odds, which had been in his favor for so long, had finally run out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'll be right back," Henry had said.

Katniss and Prim finished washing the dishes and waited at the table for Henry and Peeta to return.

The Mellark men relaxed in the evening by playing cards. Henry had taught Katniss and Prim how to play a number of games. Their favorite was one called " _Mockingjay_ ," which Henry said was popular just before the start of the war.

"I'll have to tell Haymitch you like it the next time I bring him some bread," Henry said.

"You're friends with the Mockingjay?" Prim's eyes had lit up when Henry revealed his connection to the old war hero.

Henry nodded. "We were in school together."

Joining Henry and Peeta in their nightly card games had done a lot to reveal their personalities to Katniss. Henry took a lot of risks, making many foolish plays. Katniss suspected that he sometimes did them on purpose so that she or Prim could win the occasional round. But then again he could have been distracted because Buttercup usually sat in his lap during the game, batting at his cards.

Peeta was a master at surprising everyone with his bluffs. His poker face never gave any clue of what he was up to, causing Katniss to continually wonder about him.

The sisters had never had opportunity to play with Rye as he was hardly home.

Loud voices drifted upstairs. "Rye has disgraced my daughter. She's having a baby."

Prim's eyes grew big.

Katniss bit her lower lip, to suppress a giggle. Unexpected relief washed over her. This news changed everything. If Henry had been thinking to match Katniss with his older son, those plans were ended now.

The sound of people climbing the stairs made her jump.

Henry led two people into the room, a short, rotund man, and an extremely buxom girl wearing a dress that was a couple of sizes too big. Her tear-stained face was so pale and her hair color so light that it looked as if she had no eyebrows.

The man looked familiar, and Katniss realized she'd met him. She'd gone to his business asking about work. She couldn't remember what kind of business he ran, but she remembered his curt reply. "This is a family business," he'd said, with a strong emphasis on the word _"family."_

Katniss reached for her sister's arm. "Prim and I were just turning in Henry." It was obvious that the man had a private " _family"_ matter to discuss.

The man and girl startled at the sight of her and Prim.

"Sleep well," Henry said, nodding to them. His face bore a look of resignation, and Katniss pitied him. The fact that he hadn't introduced their guests to them indicated the state he was in.

"Can you believe that?" Prim whispered when they got behind the closed door of their room.

"It's none of our business, Little Duck."

"Of course it's our business. There's not enough room for another person to move in here Katniss. And if that girl comes to work in the bakery will we get tossed out?"

The two sisters lay in bed, whispering in the dark, while a loud voice sounded in the other room.

Katniss was surprised to hear Prim's worries. Her sister had so calmly accepted Henry's generosity in letting them stay with him. Katniss still thought of Prim as a child, but clearly her sister had the same fears as she.

"Have you talked to the foreman at the medicine factory?"

"They've had some budget cutbacks. They won't be hiring until spring now."

"Oh, no." Prim reached for Katniss' hand and squeezed it.

Both fell silent.

Outside the room, the voices lowered. A door closed shut in the hallway. Katniss wondered if Peeta had escaped from the discussion in the dining room.

"It's hard to believe Rye and Peeta are brothers," Prim whispered. "They're so different."

"They are." For someone in line inherit to the bakery, Rye Mellark did the least amount of work of the three men. He spent the largest portion of his days at the front counter chatting with customers.

Even Henry occasionally disappeared for a couple of hours with the excuse that he was making a bread delivery, but Katniss wondered if that was true. Maybe he'd already gotten over her mother and found a new woman to romance.

But Peeta was always working, after he finished the day's baking, he sat on the stool in the corner, creating the most intricate designs on cakes. He certainly had a talent for it.

"Peeta's nice to me," Prim continued.

"I've noticed." He _had_ seemed to bond with her sister. It had been quite sweet of him considering their circumstances.

"You needn't be jealous."

 _Jealous? Why would she be jealous?_

"I'm not interested in Peeta," Prim explained. "I already met someone at school."

"What?"

"His name is Rory Hawthorne and he's in my class."

"You're too young Prim."

"I'm fifteen already. Don't you like Peeta?"

"He's all right." Peeta _was_ kind. He seemed to be the son who followed most in his father's footsteps.

"Rory has an older brother who's a police officer. Gale has a sort-of girlfriend, but Rory doesn't think it's too serious. If you want…"

Katniss interrupted her sister. "I can't think about anyone that way now. All I can think about, every day, every waking minute is, how am I going to take care of us? What Mom did to Henry was plain wrong."

As soon as she said the words she regretted them. Prim didn't know of their mother's duplicity.

"What did Mom do?"

"Nothing, go to sleep Prim."

"What did she do Katniss?" Prim drew out the "s" sound at the end of Katniss' name so that she sounded like a snake.

Tired of keeping the secret, Katniss spoke. "Mom was sick and knew she wouldn't get better. She didn't tell Henry about it though. She figured he would take care of us after she died."

"Oh Katniss." Prim curled into her sister's side. "It'll be okay. Mom was right about Henry. I'm sure he'll let us stay no matter what happens."

"Let's sleep now Little Duck."

The air thick was with tension, when Katniss and Prim entered the bakery the next morning. All three men were already at work.

Peeta looked up when he saw them, failing to give them his regular smile, and looking serious instead. "Sit down and I'll get you something to eat."

They sat at their usual place at the end of the table and Peeta gave them plates filled with a hearty brown bread topped with jam. Big cups of tea arrived next.

Rye and Henry worked at the other end of the long table. Rye's head was bowed. He looked like a man preparing for the gallows. Henry, meanwhile, seemed lost in his thoughts. He didn't even acknowledge Katniss and Prim until they were almost done eating.

"Oh you're up," he said. "We'll be closing the shop mid-morning for Rye's and Delly's toasting. Prim, you're welcome to stay home from school today to join us."

A big smile erupted on Prim's face.

Rye caught sight of it and snarled. "Glad someone's happy."

Frowning, Henry turned to his older son. "Change your clothes, then walk Delly to the Justice Building so you can get the paperwork taken care of."

Rye nodded grimly.

Katniss washed out her's and Prim's dishes and then joined her sister in helping to fill the bakery display case with fresh bread, and other baked goods.

When the shelves were full, Henry unlocked the door for the customers who were already lined up.

Katniss went through the kitchen heading toward the office. Peeta had already retreated to his workstation. He was decorating a small cake, adorning the top with a variety of colorful flowers made of frosting.

"That's pretty," she commented, thinking that it was probably one of his most elaborate designs.

"It's a toasting cake for Rye and Delly."

Katniss couldn't help but ask, "Is Delly the girl from last night?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Katniss couldn't think of anything more to say that would be polite. Delly hadn't impressed her in any way. The kindest thing she could think was that the girl was terribly naïve to have become involved with an obvious womanizer like Rye.

"She's a good person," Peeta said. His voice lowered. "She deserves better than my brother."

"But she must like him at least a little." _Why else would she have gotten into such a predicament?_

"I suppose." But he didn't sound as if he believed her.

The thought crossed Katniss' mind that maybe he liked that pasty girl himself. It left her strangely irritated.

Katniss excused herself and went into the office. She was reorganizing the bakery's account books. Henry had done an awful job since his wife's death and as a result had been overpaying on his taxes. District taxes were already high because ever since the districts broke free of the Capitol's control, the new national government refused to fund the districts' infrastructure.

She was combing the records, trying to see if she could find a way for Henry to get a refund for some of those extra taxes he'd paid. It wouldn't be enough to reimburse him for the cost of three train tickets, but it would make a serious dent in the amount.

Prim stuck her head into the open door of the office. "The bakery's closed now. Henry and Peeta went upstairs to change their clothes. The toasting is being held at Delly's house."

Taking off her apron, Prim smoothed her dress. "Do you think we should change too?"

"You look fine," Katniss said, thankful that their mother had insisted on her daughters updating their wardrobe before they came to Twelve. With several new dresses each, at least she and Prim always looked presentable.

Katniss didn't know what to expect at the toasting. She'd never witnessed one before, but she knew her parents had had one. The traditions in Two were very different, though; after filing the necessary paperwork in the Justice Building, the wedded couple recited their vows outdoors in a circle of stones.

Henry came downstairs followed by Peeta. They were both wearing dark pants and patterned, button-down shirts. Peeta's blue shirt made his blue eyes look even brighter, as if that were possible. He did have nice eyes.

Peeta put the toasting cake into a box.

"We better get over there," Henry said.

The shoemaker's shop was on the other side of the square, directly across from the bakery. Henry led the way, followed by Peeta. Katniss and Prim trailed behind.

A sign featuring an oversized shoe made of wood hung next to the door. A few pairs of shoes were displayed in the front window. Instead of entering the shop though, Henry turned to the alley alongside it and walked up the outside stairs that led to the second floor.

He knocked on the door, as they stood on the landing behind him. A middle-aged woman wearing an apron over her flowered dress opened the door. She had the same pale complexion and hair as Delly, but her figure was slim; Katniss guessed she was Delly's mother.

"Good morning, Brigit," Henry greeted her.

The woman smiled back at him nervously. "It's been a long time Henry. Who'd have thought when our children played together years ago that they'd end up getting married." She opened the door wider and they all followed Henry inside.

Peeta handed off the boxed cake to Brigit who thanked him and set it down on the dining table, next to a plate with two thick slices of dark bread.

She stared at Katniss and Prim curiously.

"Brigit, let me introduce Katniss and Prim Everdeen," Henry said. "They're Lily's daughters, you remember Lily Bolduc from school who married Glenn Everdeen. They moved to Two after the war."

The woman nodded. "I heard about what happened to you, Henry. I'm so sorry. It's kind of you to take in Lily's daughters. But then you've always been generous."

She gave the sisters an appraising glance. "You look so much like your mother when she was your age," she told Prim. She turned to Katniss. "You're a fine mix of both of your parents."

A loud throat clearing interrupted the conversation. "We haven't got all day, Brigit. I need to re-open the shop. We should get this started." Brendan Cartwright tapped his foot on the floor.

She gave them an apologetic glance, her cheeks growing pink. "Let me get Delly and Rye."

She disappeared down a short hallway and returned with the couple. Rye was dressed in a similar fashion as his father and brother, dark pants and a patterned shirt. Delly wore a loose yellow dress with a scoop neckline that showed off her ample cleavage. Her pale hair hung in curls down her back.

Delly's eyes were red-rimmed, though, and Rye looked queasy. Brendan Cartwright handed Rye the plate with the bread on it. Rye took it and reached for Delly's hand. He led her to the stove that stood in the corner of the room. The door to the hearth was open and a small coal fire was burning.

The couple knelt down in front of it. Rye set the plate onto the floor and they each took a slice of bread and held it over the flame, twisting it around to get the slice fully toasted.

"Damn," Rye cried out as he burned his finger.

"That's what happens when you play with fire," Brendan said sharply. "You get burned." He glared at his new son-in-law.

Katniss and Prim exchanged looks. For a brief moment Katniss pitied Rye until she remembered he was only reaping what he'd sown.

Once both slices of bread were toasted, the couple held out their slice, offering the other the first bite.

They mumbled a few words about remaining faithful to each other but neither seemed enthused about it.

Katniss wondered at her own parent's toasting. They had been raised during a time when great prejudice existed in District 12 - when the district was strictly divided into two divisions -people who lived in the Seam and worked in the mines, and people who lived in Town and owned a business. Her mother had been born a Townie, her father born in the Seam.

Did the prejudice that existed then cause her parents' toasting to be equally as tense and uncomfortable as Rye's and Delly's? Did Katniss' grandparents even attend their children's toasting? Katniss had never thought to ask. But at any rate, Katniss _knew_ that her parents had been in love. If she were to marry someday, she hoped it was a love match as well, and not an arrangement forced upon her.

Once they'd eaten the bread, Rye helped Delly get up from the floor.

"Let's have some of this delicious cake," Brigit said. "Did you make it Rye?"

"No, Peeta did. He does all the cakes."

"Well it's a good thing then," Brendan said. "I wouldn't want to be accused of stealing away District Twelve's best baker to turn him into a shoemaker."

Katniss gasped. She hadn't realized that the marriage would mean that Rye would leave the bakery and have to learn a new trade too. She caught the frown that appeared on Henry's face; however, Peeta was biting his lower lip as if he were trying to hold back a smile. It was the first time she'd seen him happy all day.

They left the Cartwright's house after Delly ran out of the room, with her hand over her mouth.

"She's been getting sick in the mornings for the past week," Brigit said when her daughter had left the room. "That's how we figured it out."

It was early afternoon when they returned to the bakery.

"Do you think you can handle things down here?" Henry said to Peeta. "I need to take a nap. I hardly slept all night and my head is aching."

"All right."

Henry went upstairs.

Peeta turned the sign around on the door. "Think you'll be okay up in the front alone?" he asked Prim.

"Yes." Prim grabbed the apron off the hook and put it on over her dress.

Peeta grabbed another apron and put it on over his good clothes and headed to the backroom.

Katniss followed him in and surveyed the mess in the kitchen. The books could wait. "Do you need help cleaning up?"

"Sure. Put an apron on."

Once her clothing was covered she headed for the sink. Alongside it was a stack of pans and bowls that needed washing. She set to work, humming to herself. Her mind was lost in its usual thought, _"how could she take care of Prim and herself?"_

She set the wet pans and bowls on the counter next to the sink.

Peeta joined her with a towel and began drying the pans and bowls and putting them away.

They worked in silence, but then Peeta spoke. "What do you think of Twelve?"

Startled, she answered, "I like it fine." But as she thought on her words she knew that they weren't entirely true. She'd been living in the district for a month now, but she missed being out in nature. She used to spend her days outdoors scavenging for plants in the woods. Now she was cooped up inside.

"I miss the woods at home, though" she blurt out.

"You have woods in Two?" He stopped drying the bowl to look at her. "I had the idea that Two was mountainous and full of rocky craigs."

"Not all of it. We lived at the base of the mountain, close to the main quarry; but the area around our village was wooded. I spent a lot of time outdoors gathering plants for my mother's business."

"We have woods here, as well. In fact I need to go out there soon and pick some apples. We make apple tarts this time of year and that tree behind the shop is practically dead. It hardly gave us any fruit last year." He smiled at her, hopefully. "Maybe you'd like to join me."

Excited about getting a day away from the bakery, Katniss answered quickly. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Peeta can you come out here." Prim poked her head in from the front room. "There're some _people_ here who want to talk with you." Prim sounded angry.

"All right." Peeta smiled back at Katniss, his heart beating a little faster. _She'd agreed to go to the woods with him to pick apples._

He was finally in a position to aim high. And his target was Katniss Everdeen. He was determined to find a way to win her heart.

Ginger Brown and Saffron Duggan were waiting for him at the counter. They'd been classmates of his and for a short time before his accident, even friends. Years ago, he'd kissed Ginger on the cheek on a dare from his oldest brother Phyl.

"Is it true that Rye got married?" Ginger asked.

Peeta studied Ginger carefully, taking in her hazel eyes and red hair that he'd once thought attractive, but paled in comparison to Katniss' gray eyes and dark tresses. Was she one of his brother's many conquests? Word had certainly spread quickly.

"He did. He and Delly Cartwright toasted only an hour ago."

The girl nodded, and then gave him an odd smile. "So he's training to take over the shoe shop then."

"Yeah…"

Saffron interrupted. "So you'll inherit the bakery now, Peeta?"

"Yes, I will." Automatically, he stood to his fullest height.

Ever since Brendan Cartwright had come to their door with his accusation, it had been all Peeta could think about. He, the youngest son, would eventually take over his father's business.

He was both happy and sad about it. Glad to be given a future, yet sad that it was on the back of his brothers, one who lay dead in the graveyard, the other who had literally screwed himself over.

"Well, congratulations are in order then," Saffron said. "Let me give you a hug." She walked around the counter, pushing past Prim, and came toward him. She was nearly as tall as Peeta and when she reached out her arms and wrapped them around him, her face rested against his cheek.

The physical contact of a female was unexpectedly welcome, yet foreign to him. Even though Saffron didn't mean anything to him, his cheek flushed at her touch.

When she pulled away, Ginger, who had come around the counter as well, also hugged him.

"Will you be making any changes to the bakery when you take over from your father then?" Saffron asked.

"I don't know yet."

The two young women talked with him a little longer and left the shop giggling.

Peeta turned around to find Prim glowering.

"Are they friends of your brother's?"

"I suppose so. But they were in my year at school."

Peeta walked past Prim into the back, irritated at her reminder. Hell nearly every female his age likely was "friends" with Rye.

He caught sight of Katniss scrubbing the worktable with soap and water. Immediately he winced, worried that she'd overhead Ginger and Saffron talking with him, glad that she hadn't witnessed their hugs. He needed to be sure that Katniss understood that he was only interested in her.

"We could go to the woods this Sunday to pick apples," Peeta suggested, picking up the conversation where it had left off. "Make a day of it. We'll have to take the cart …." His voice trailed off as he remembered that they'd transported her mother's corpse in that cart to the graveyard.

But Katniss didn't seem perturbed and Peeta thought that maybe she didn't remember. She may have seen them with the cart, but she'd never seen it used for that gruesome task. And he and Rye had scrubbed it down completely afterwards.

She lifted her head. "It sounds like fun. I'm sure Prim will enjoy it too."

Prim? Wooing Katniss Everdeen was going to be harder than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Could the trip to the woods to pick apples be considered a date when five other people joined him and Katniss?

She'd invited her sister along in front of him. Prim had agreed to the outing, although she'd given Peeta an uneasy glance, as if to ask his permission. He could only nod and smile dumbly; to do otherwise would appear rude and might rub Katniss the wrong way. But once Prim accepted, she begged Katniss to allow her to invite a friend named Rory Hawthorne to join them.

Katniss had frowned and told Prim she was too young, but Peeta had spoken up for Prim.

"It wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of hands to help us pick," he said, hopeful that Rory would keep Prim's attention elsewhere and that he could have Katniss all to himself.

Thinking that even with Prim and Rory coming, it could still work out, his plans were upset again when his father decided Saturday evening to join the "picking party."

"It would be nice to get out into nature and breathe some fresh air."

Peeta took his father aside after the sisters had retired to bed to explain, "it's a date."

"You're dating two sisters?" Henry rubbed at his temples furiously. "For crying out loud, even your brother didn't pull a stunt like that."

"No. Prim is bringing a friend, a boy from school."

Henry shook his head. "She's far too young to be thinking about all that." He caught Peeta's eye and grinned. "So you like Katniss, then?"

Peeta flushed. He'd never talked to his father about women before; there had been no reason to. He picked up Buttercup, absentmindedly stroking him under the chin, to avoid looking at his father.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Peeta. She's a wonderful girl. But if I could give you one piece of advice..."

Peeta set the cat down and leaned forward, curious.

"She doesn't know about the leg yet, does she?"

He gulped. "Nope." He'd had his prosthesis for over three years now, plenty of time to become proficient in using it. Peeta thought it was undetectable to people who didn't know what had happened. He'd deliberately avoided telling Katniss about it, though, when they'd first met, because it embarrassed him.

"I suggest you tell her," Henry said. "Better she find out now, rather than later. And from you, not someone else."

Peeta grimaced. "You're probably right."

"And I'm still coming out there with you," Henry said, changing the subject. "I don't like the idea of Prim going to the woods with some young lout who might try to take advantage of her."

"Dad…"

"Don't argue with me Peeta. I'll stay away from you and Katniss. I'm just there to keep an eye on Prim and her friend. Besides you might need some help with the cart. It's can be hard to manage when it's loaded up."

The four of them set off early for the woods on a sunny fall morning. There was a chill in the air, though, indicating that summer was over and winter was approaching.

It was a mile and a half walk to the meadow where they would meet Prim's friend. Peeta pulled the empty cart with his father, trying to figure out how he could separate Katniss from the others. Already she was walking ahead with her sister, ignoring him entirely.

But when they arrived at the meadow, three people were waiting, not one. They each carried a basket.

A dark haired girl that looked about seven years old came up to them. "I'm Posy Hawthorne. Mama said Vick and I needed to come to make sure that Rory keeps his hands off Prim."

"Shut up, Posy," said the youth, who was obviously Rory. He was taller than Peeta, nearly as tall as Henry. His face had gone fiery red at his sister's comment.

"Don't talk to me like that Rory, or I'll tell Mama that you used some of Gale's perfume before we left.''

Rory's grimaced. He smacked his sister on the arm. "You better watch it, Posy."

But Posy ignored him and continued her introductions. "This is Vick." She pointed to her other brother. He resembled a smaller version of Rory, dark hair and gray eyes. He appeared to be in his early teens.

"We brought some lunch with us, too. But Mama said we need to pick the apples first before we eat."

"Your Mama is right," Henry broke in. "If everyone's here then, let's get going."

The group walked past the broken-down remains of a chain link fence that had once, in the years before the war, kept the residents of Twelve out of the woods.

Other people had come to pick apples, too, likely because of the fine weather and the fact that most businesses shut down on Sunday.

They didn't have to walk too far to get to the apple trees, and Peeta was glad of it. The ground was uneven and he had some difficulty maneuvering the cart, even with his father's help. Peeta was suddenly grateful for his father's presence. He _would_ need his assistance for the return trip.

As it turned out, Rory and his siblings helped considerably. Once their own baskets were full, they joined in to fill the bakery wagon as well. Rory and Vick were adept at climbing trees and picking apples from the very top, tossing them down to the others below.

It didn't take long to fill up the cart. Peeta and his father dragged it off to an area away from the fruit trees.

Peeta had also packed a lunch, a couple of loaves of bread, a block of cheese, and some sugar cookies that hadn't sold the day before. The lunch Posy carried consisted of jerky made from wild hog, flat bread that was baked to a crisp, and a container of strawberry jam.

Everyone shared their food with each other, finishing off the meal with an apple or two.

Peeta made a point to sit beside Katniss while they ate. He'd had no real experience flirting, but he was smart enough to know that he'd have to draw her out through conversation first if he wanted to get her attention, which might prove difficult since Katniss wasn't particularly talkative.

"Do these woods differ much from those in Two?" he asked.

She nodded, speaking when she swallowed the food she was chewing. "We don't have fruit trees. Mostly pine and spruce."

"Oh, we have those trees too." Peeta wasn't sure if that was true, but the woods were a big place, surely there were at least of few of those types of trees around.

He asked her a few other questions, but they all led to dead ends.

When they had finished eating, Katniss asked if she could borrow the satchel that he'd brought the lunch in. "I'd like to look around for some plants. I might be able to find something that can help your father with his headaches."

By that point, Henry had stretched out on the ground and closed his eyes to take a nap.

So much for his watching over Prim, Peeta thought.

Meanwhile, Prim, Rory, Vick, and Posy had devised a throwing game using one of the apples.

"Sure," Peeta said, handing Katniss the satchel, but inwardly panicking. He'd arranged this day as a way for Katniss to get to know him better. He needed to do something quick before she left and his plans were completely ruined.

"I'll go with you," he said, awkwardly rising. Going from a seated position on the ground to standing was tricky with his artificial leg. "Don't want you getting lost."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss narrowed her eyes. Did Peeta _really_ think she'd get lost? She'd been hoping to spend some time alone in the woods.

But she couldn't very well say "no" without being rude. After all, she and her sister were beholden to Peeta's father. A unnerving thought crossed her mind: had Peeta considered this outing to be some kind of date? She hoped not. She wasn't looking for romance – what she needed was a job.

"All right, then."

Despite never being in the woods in Twelve before, Katniss led the way past the apple trees following a path that had been beaten down by many feet before hers. Peeta followed after her.

She walked on through the wooded landscape for about fifteen minutes until she came across a familiar plant. The large bunch of stalks stood nearly twenty inches tall. Katniss rubbed her hands across their stems, and sniffed at the sweet aroma that was released. It brought back memories of her mother and her old life in Two.

"What's that smell?" Peeta asked, pulling her out of her sad thoughts as he came up beside her.

She blinked away tears. "Chamomile. I can make a tea from the flowers on top. It's good for people suffering from headaches."

He helped her gather it up.

"Has your father suffered from headaches for a long time?"

"They started after the explosion." Peeta laid the stalks carefully into the satchel.

"My mom took care of the business side of things and my dad got overwhelmed by everything afterward," he continued. "I was hurt too, and Rye let his new position go to his…"

His voice trailed off and Katniss wondered at the injury Peeta was referring to but she didn't want to pry.

"Well, they say chamomile can calm an upset mood, too."

Peeta chuckled. "Well then, we better take all of it.

"You know a lot about plants," he said, as he closed the satchel and put it over his shoulder to carry.

"My mother had a business selling medicinal teas in Two. I collected the plants for her."

"My dad said your grandparents ran an apothecary shop before the war. Is that why you wanted to work at the medicine factory?"

"I would have taken any job," she murmured.

"You don't like the bakery?" He sounded disappointed but the twinkle in his eyes indicated that he was joking.

"I don't want to take advantage of your father's kindness."

Peeta snorted. "He's happy to have you and your sister with us." He gave her a shy smile. "I'm _glad_ you're with us. Besides we can use the extra help now that we've lost Rye."

But it isn't a permanent solution to _our_ problems, Katniss wanted to tell him. But she didn't. The Mellarks were already doing too much to help them.

Instead she said, "I'd like to walk a little farther and see if I can find any other plants."

"All right."

She set off down the path, with Peeta again following behind her. They walked for ten more minutes until the path widened considerably. They'd reached the shore of a small lake. A few men with fishing poles were standing around its perimeter.

"I've heard about this lake, but I've never been here before," Peeta said excitedly.

Katniss caught the animation in his voice and grinned at his enthusiasm. "My father told us there were some lakes outside of the fence. He said that his grandfather taught him to swim in one when he was a boy."

"Can you swim too, then?" Peeta asked.

Katniss nodded, noticing the downcast expression that fell over Peeta. "Don't you know how?"

Peeta shook his head. "Not much call for bakers to swim." He paused for a moment and an odd look came over him, as if he were carefully weighing his thoughts. "This might be a problem, too."

He raised the cuff of his left pants' leg to reveal a silver limb.

Startled, Katniss looked away. The loss of his leg must have been the injury he was referring to. How could she have been living and working with Peeta for a couple of months and not have known? Momentarily flustered, Katniss said the first thing that popped into her mind. "Would it rust in the water?"

As soon as the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. Peeta would think she was an ill-mannered fool.

Instead, he burst out laughing. "No."

"Oh, well that's good then. Maybe I can teach you how to swim sometime."

"That would be nice."

Eager to change the subject, she suggested they head back to the group. "Prim will be getting worried."

Before they left the shoreline, though, she added a few more plants to the satchel, including some late season greens she could use to make a salad. But Peeta refused to let her carry the bag. He said it was getting heavy.

They didn't talk as they walked back and Katniss was grateful for the silence and surprisingly comfortable with Peeta's companionship. He was very amiable, and it relieved her that he was obviously not looking for anything more than friendship. After all, what man would think to show off his prosthetic leg if he was trying to win a girl's affection?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day after their trip to the woods, apple tarts and apple pie appeared on the Mellark Bakery menu.

Henry made up two big apple pies. When the school day ended, Henry asked Prim and Katniss to bring them to the Hawthorne's house in thanks for the children's help in picking apples for the bakery.

While the Everdeen sisters were out, Rye showed up at the bakery.

"Look what the cat dragged in on this beautiful day," Henry called to Peeta in the back room. "Take a break and say hello to your brother."

Peeta set down his frosting bag and came out to the front of the shop.

Dark circles hung under Rye's eyes, and his face looked thinner than it had only a week earlier.

"How are things going with you?" Henry asked.

Rye sighed. "About as well as can be expected when I'm working for someone who hates me."

"I doubt Brendan hates you," Henry said. "He's still adjusting to the idea that he has a son-in-law."

"Well, I hope he adjusts soon, because I don't know how much more I can stand. He's rude as hell to me. And he's running the business into the ground. By the time I take over, there won't be anything left. Delly and I had a long talk about it last night. She has some good ideas about how to update things, although I doubt he'll let me implement any of them."

"How is she doing?" Peeta interrupted.

"She's not sick anymore. But she has a craving for sugar cookies." Rye reached into his pocket. "I'll pay for them."

"Nonsense. I'm not taking any money from you." Henry pulled out a white sack from the shelf under the register and filled it with cookies. He handed it to Rye. "It's my treat. After all, Delly's carrying my grandbaby."

Rye took the bag from his father. "You seem in good spirits, Dad."

"I am," Henry said. "I haven't felt this good in a long while. Katniss and Peeta found some chamomile plants in the woods and Katniss brewed me one of Lily's special teas."

Rye smirked. "You don't say." He turned toward Peeta. "So are you making a move on Katniss?"

Peeta drew his lips into a firm line, while his cheeks burned. "It's nothing like that, Rye." Why did his brother have to turn what Peeta had thought was a promising first date into something lecherous?

"But you were out in the woods together?"

"To get apples. Dad came too, so did Prim and, ah… some of her friends."

"Stop teasing your brother, Rye."

Henry looked at Peeta. "I'm going upstairs to brew another cup of that tea. The effect seems to have suddenly worn off."

He turned back to Rye. "Give Delly a kiss from me."

Rye snorted. "Oh I'm sure she'll appreciate that."

His father shook his head in exasperation, before going upstairs to the living quarters.

Rye turned his attention back to Peeta. "I heard Ginger and Saffron were in here the other day visiting you."

"They weren't _visiting_ _me_ , they were here as customers."

"Did they buy anything?"

Now that Peeta thought about it, he realized they hadn't.

"Peeta, you're the most eligible bachelor in District 12. Might as well take advantage of it while you can. It's clear Dad's already selected Katniss to be the bakery's matriarch. He's trained her to do mom's job after all.

"You realize that if this thing with Delly hadn't happened, I would have ended up with Katniss. So have your fun, little brother, before you have to do your duty."

Peeta's jaw dropped at his brother's words. As if Katniss were under any obligation to marry either of them because of the circumstances in which she found herself. He didn't want Katniss _that_ way; he wanted her to fall in love with him.

"You're wrong. It's not like that between Katniss and me," he repeated. _Not yet at least._

His brother laughed. "Right. See you later, Peetie."

Rye left the shop, leaving Peeta floored. He walked over to the bottom of the stairs and called up. "Are you coming back to work the counter Dad?"

"I'll be right down," Henry shouted. "As soon as the water boils."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss stood in the kitchen flabbergasted over the conversation she'd overheard. She'd let Prim stay at Rory's house a little longer – his mother seemed to be keeping a strict eye on the pair - and had come into the bakery through the back door to catch up on the books. They'd received a supply shipment that morning - flour, sugar, and a variety of spices - and she had to record everything.

The kitchen had been empty when she'd walked in, but she could hear Henry talking to Rye in the front of the shop. He was telling him about the chamomile tea. It made her happy to hear how well Henry was feeling, although she suspected his improved health was greatly exaggerated. She'd never known anyone to feel so good after a couple cups of an herbal brew.

Katniss had every intention to go into the office and work, but then the conversation had taken a turn and they began to discuss her.

The words that Rye Mellark spoke after Henry had gone upstairs infuriated her. Assuring Peeta that marriage to her was a given. She'd reluctantly offered to marry Henry when she and Prim had first arrived in Twelve, but he had turned her down. She had _never_ offered to marry one of his sons in his stead.

But even worse was Rye telling Peeta to have his fun with other girls first. It brought back bad memories to Katniss of her time with Cato. The thought that Peeta might decide to take his brother's advice nettled her. It would be an insult to his future wife.

Katniss was ready to rush into the front of the shop and tell Rye off, but she held back, curious to hear Peeta's response. But his words about what she was to him left her strangely disappointed.

She was also upset that he didn't condemn his brother for suggesting he take advantage of his position.

Two girls had already thrown themselves at Peeta on the very afternoon of Rye's and Delly's wedding.

Katniss had overheard their simpering comments to him. Prim had told her that they were pretty, and that while Peeta hadn't seemed overjoyed to see them, he hadn't refused their congratulatory hugs, either.

Didn't Peeta know he deserved someone far better than one of those strumpets?

His shout to his father caused her to jump. She hurried to the backdoor to open and shut it loudly.

"I'm just back from the Hawthornes," she called out, her face growing warm. She was such a bad liar. Could Peeta hear it in her voice?

He came into the back room. "Did they like the pies?"

"Oh yes. They sat down and ate one right away." Katniss' voice rose in sing-song fashion as she feigned excitement.

"That's good. Where's Prim?"

"She's staying a little longer. She'll be back soon."

"Okay. I better go back out to the front. I'm watching the counter for my dad."

Katniss gave him a nervous smile. "All right. I need to finish that inventory."

She went into the office, but couldn't concentrate on her work. Instead her mind stayed on Peeta. She had enjoyed the outing in the woods the previous day very much, especially the walk she'd taken with him.

He was the first decent man her own age that she'd ever met. He was kind and good-looking and a talented baker.

If they'd met under different circumstances, if she wasn't in such a powerless position of depending on his father for a job and a home, she might have allowed herself to have feelings for him.

But, she reminded herself, it was probably good that she wasn't interested in a romance. Peeta clearly wasn't interested in her in that way; he'd as much as told his brother that they were only friends.

In the days that followed, though, Katniss found herself paying more attention to Peeta. Maybe it was because even more young women showed up at the bakery to talk with him.

Prim asked her about it one evening as they lay in bed. It was the only time the sisters could have a private conversation. "Why are all those girls visiting Peeta now? Some of the older girls in school are even talking about him.

Katniss shuddered at the thought. "He's in line to inherit the bakery."

"But he likes you. I can tell by the way he looks at you."

Could Prim be right? For a brief moment Katniss' spirits rose.

But she tamped the idea down immediately. No, Prim was wrong. Katniss had heard Peeta tell Rye that there was nothing between them at all. And anyway, she had no business thinking about Peeta like that. She owed his father for the cost of three train tickets. She should renew her job search.

Katniss was filling out paperwork for the district taxes one morning when Henry called her out of the office. She walked into the front of the shop to meet a woman wearing an outlandish golden wig, freakish makeup, and brightly colored garb.

"This is Effie Trinket," Henry said. "She set up the match between your mother and me."

Katniss had never met Effie Trinket, but she had signed the letters that Lily had received from The Capitol Matchmaker's Group.

"I've been busy in the Capitol for the past couple of months arranging a match between two very famous celebrities," Effie bragged. "I stopped by hoping to finally meet your mother, and Mr. Mellark here told me the tragic news.

"I'm so very sorry, my dear."

Katniss nodded, her eyes unexpectedly filling with tears.

Effie's eyes jumped back and forth between Henry and Katniss. "I promise to do all I can to make matters right for the both of you. I'll come back with my book to find you another match Mr. Mellark."

Henry shook his head. "It's all right. I've changed my mind completely about remarrying. In fact, I'm very happy with my life as it is right now."

"You're certain?"

"Oh yes. My older son recently wed. I'm going to become a grandfather."

Effie smiled. "Congratulations. That's wonderful news." She turned to Katniss.

"As for you and your sister, I can escort you both back to District Two once I've concluded my business with Mr. Abernathy."

Startled, Katniss couldn't speak. It took her several seconds to choke out, "when?"

"In a few days."

"Okaaay." Katniss was stunned. She never thought something like this would happen.

"You don't sound very excited dear," Effie said. "Would you prefer to stay in Twelve?"

A rush of emotions came over her. On the one hand, they'd been in Twelve for a little more than two months; she hadn't found a job, and they were still taking advantage of Henry Mellark's generosity.

Yet she and Prim had settled in. Prim was enrolled in school and even had a boyfriend, who Katniss begrudgingly liked. And their parents were buried in Twelve's graveyard. They couldn't very well dig them up and take them back to Two, could they? Of course Henry and Buttercup and Peeta were a part of their lives too.

"You're under no obligation to leave, but you'll need a family member to sponsor you if you stay," Effie said. "You know how the districts like to have their paperwork in order. They don't look favorably at illegal residents."

"Illegal residents?" Henry's brow furrowed.

"Oh yes," Effie explained. "Right now, the Everdeen sisters are illegally residing in Twelve. Now if their mother had died after she married you, the legality of their residency wouldn't be in question. They would be your stepdaughters. But since Lily Everdeen died before you two were wed, her children have no legal standing to remain here."

"But their parents were born in Twelve," Henry argued. "I went to school with Katniss' mother."

"It doesn't matter," Effie explained. "They weren't born here."

She turned to Katniss. "Are you absolutely certain that you don't have any relatives in Twelve, dear?"

"Ah, ah…" Katniss stalled, frantically searching her memory for any mention of a lost relative, a distant cousin perhaps.

"For crying out loud," Henry said, throwing a dark look at Effie. "Surely you can make an exception in this case. It's not like Katniss and her sister are hurting anyone in Twelve. They both have a home with me, and Katniss has an important job at my bakery."

Effie drew herself up to her full height. "Mr. Mellark, I'm surprised at you. You could be severely fined for hiring an illegal resident, and taking that job away from someone born in Twelve. You could lose your business license.

"And it's not only you. The Capitol Matchmaker's Group could be heavily fined for being a party to this situation. It's my responsibility to return the Everdeen sisters to Two, or report this situation to the Immigration Bureau in Twelve."

Henry pulled at his thinning hair. "But she's not taking anyone's job away. I'm not even paying Katniss a salary."

"That's slavery," Effie shrieked. "You could go to jail. I could have your business shut down today."

A silence fell over the room.

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Henry pled.

"Without any blood relatives in Twelve, the only way the sisters can legally stay is for Katniss to wed a citizen. Then she can petition to keep her sister with her."

A shiver ran down Katniss' back. She'd offered to marry Henry when she arrived in Twelve, but thankfully he had refused.

Was she going to _have_ to marry him now?

"Now if you're looking for a husband dear, I could add your photo to my book," Effie said, "although I can't guarantee anyone from Twelve will pick you. Very few people in this district can afford to use The Capitol…"

"I guess it's time we told them our secret Katniss," Peeta interrupted, as he came into the front of the shop. Katniss startled as his warm arm went round her waist, tucking her neatly to his side. He gave her a sweet smile.

She looked back at him in complete confusion.

Peeta turned toward his father. "We didn't want to tell you, Dad, with all the trouble Rye's caused, but Katniss and I had a secret toasting weeks ago."

Henry shook his head at Peeta, and bit at his lip, trying to keep his face neutral.

Effie's eyes hardened. "A toasting? But have you filed the official paperwork?"

Peeta frowned. "Not yet. But we have to do it soon, right sweetheart," he caught Katniss' eyes again, "before you start to show and people start to talk." He rested his free hand lightly on the apron that covered her belly.

The weight of it burned through the layers of cloth, leaving Katniss oddly aroused.

Still fury rose up within her. What was Peeta doing? She wanted to push him away and tell Effie that he was bluffing, the same as he did when they played _Mockingjay_ in the evenings.

But if she did: the bakery might get shut down, Henry could be jailed, and she and her sister would likely be on their way back to Two on the next train. _Prim would kill her._

Effie's eyes lit up at Peeta's words. "You're lucky I'm such a romantic that I'm willing to look the other way. But I suggest you file all paperwork before the end of the day, or I'll have to report this matter."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Peeta was frosting a cake, thinking about how he could plan another outing with Katniss, something for just the two of them, when his father called her to the front of the shop.

He lifted his head and admired her trim figure as she left the office and cut through the bakery kitchen. Her long braid fell almost to the middle of her back, swishing to and fro as she walked past him. He wondered what her hair looked like unbound.

The sound of his father's voice telling a customer "he was happy," interrupted Peeta's fantasy of Katniss giving him a swim lesson at the lake before the weather got too cold.

Who was his father talking to and why had this mystery visitor required Katniss' presence as well? Peeta got up from the stool and walked to the doorway that separated the back area from the front of the shop.

Effie Trinket, the woman who'd arranged the match between his father and Lily Everdeen, was standing at the counter, looking very much like some kind of ornamental bird in her gold wig and colorful attire.

His heart twisted as he took in the words of the matchmaker.

"I can escort you both back to District Two once I've concluded my business…"

 _What the hell? He was planning to ask Katniss to marry him, well not right away of course, but as soon as she fell in love with him._

But Miss Trinket was on a roll. Before Peeta knew it, she was accusing his father of committing a crime and threatening to have the bakery closed. The bakery he was _supposed_ to inherit. He had to stop this crazed woman before she went any further.

Fortunately, she threw out a plan for him to catch.

"The only way the sisters can legally stay is for Katniss to wed a citizen."

Even though it went completely against his grand plan, Peeta considered the matchmaker's suggestion. He'd never met anyone so independently minded as Katniss – he assumed she'd react badly to the scheme, but Peeta couldn't see that he had any other alternative.

Especially when Miss Trinket suggested Katniss sign up to join the desperate women whose photos filled her matchmaking album. It made him ill to consider. Surely she wasn't hopeless enough to consider _that_ option?

He even wondered for a brief moment if that hadn't been Miss Trinket's intent all along - to recruit Katniss for her company. Maybe the matchmaker got a commission for every woman she signed up?

Peeta wasn't about to take any chances. Immediately he stepped through the doorway and pulled Katniss close to his side. While he spoke, he tried to memorize the sensation of her soft, small body nestled into his. It might be the only time it ever happened.

As soon as the matchmaker left the shop, right after his father had packed up a dozen complimentary sugar cookies _and_ a free chocolate cake for her, Katniss pushed his arm away and took a few steps back from him.

She looked to his father. "He's lying. There's been _no toasting_ and I'm certainly _not pregnant_." She spat out the last part, looking as morally outraged as Delly's father had been when he had come to the door to accuse Rye of impregnating his daughter.

Peeta had never imagined that Katniss might have considered his words to be an insult to her character. He felt awful.

"I know, dear." His father's voice was calm and reassuring. "I think Peeta was only trying to help."

He gave Peeta an irritated glance. "I assume that's what you were doing."

Peeta nodded, biting the inside of his lip.

Henry shook his head. "I think you may have gone too far. You've put Katniss in a difficult position. You've given her no choice at all as to how she wants to handle things."

Immediately Peeta's hackles went up. Even if Katniss didn't appreciate what he'd done, his father certainly should. "I was protecting our interests too, Dad. Miss Trinket threatened to put you in jail and close the bakery."

Henry shook his head. "I'm not so sure she could have done that. I can't imagine that the people running this district would punish a man for doing the decent thing, even if I bent the law a bit. Besides, my friend Haymitch knows her fairly well. He's been searching through her books for over a year now. He might have been able to talk her out of it."

Peeta wondered if his father could be right. Had he acted too hastily? Maybe, but the thought of losing Katniss had made him abandon all reason.

"And Peeta, why in heaven's name would you say Katniss is expecting?"

Katniss looked at him sharply.

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. He'd actually been quite proud of thinking to add that bit of information. "It was a kind of insurance since we don't have any official paperwork. Even if the Bureau of Immigration didn't recognize a toasting, they couldn't turn Katniss out of Twelve if she's pregnant with my baby because the child would have all the rights of a citizen of Twelve even before she was born."

His face grew red as he spoke aloud and considered the implication of the story he'd told Miss Trinket. For it to be true would mean that he and Katniss had begun meeting up for secret assignations not long after she had arrived in Twelve. No wonder she was upset.

Henry rubbed his chin, and sighed. "I never considered that a baby could act as an anchor to tie a woman to a district, but you're probably right."

Out of the corner of his eye Peeta snuck a peek at Katniss. Surprisingly the anger had disappeared from her face, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

"Did you want to return to Two?" Henry asked her.

"Not really. Prim likes it here." In a smaller voice she added, "So do I."

"Okay then. What _would_ you like to do?"

A silence hung over the room.

Katniss took a deep breath and sighed. "I guess Peeta and I go to the Justice Building."

"Is that what you want?" Peeta was astounded. He hadn't expected her to give in so easily.

"What other choice do we have?"

Henry cleared his throat. "Okay, if you're both willing to go through with this, I suggest you head over there now before the Bureau of Immigration catches wind of this matter. There's no telling what trouble that woman might stir up for us if she doesn't like the cookies and cake I gave her."

A customer walked in then, putting a stop to the conversation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everything had happened so quickly that Katniss was taken off guard. She'd been furious at Peeta in the moment, feeling shame at his words about a secret relationship that had resulted in the conception of a child.

Even though he prefaced it by saying they'd toasted privately, still it sounded so tawdry, making her sound not much different than Delly Cartwright.

Katniss worried that Henry might believe him, and was greatly relieved that he saw through his son's bluff.

But as Henry chewed out his son about the lie he'd told Miss Trinket, Katniss found herself pondering Peeta's actions. His words _had_ worked to put a stop toMiss Trinket's rant about closing the bakery and putting Henry in jail.

Katniss already felt responsible to pay Henry back for the train tickets to Twelve; how could she make it up to him if he lost his livelihood as well? Miss Trinket had never said who would pay for her and Prim to return to Two. Did the matchmaker expect Henry to pick up that tab as well?

And although the mention of a imaginary pregnancy was embarrassing to her, by claiming paternity, Peeta _had_ ensuredthat sheand Prim would stay in Twelve.

Katniss studied the man who had asserted to be her fake husband. His quick thinking had saved her. But it had come at a dear cost to him. Peeta _was_ stuck with her now, exactly as his brother had predicted.

Her anger at him dissipated, replaced by compassion. Because Peeta deserved to marry someone he loved, not marry to save his family's business.

She'd certainly gotten the better end of the deal. The kind, handsome baker's son had just ended his short reign as the most eligible bachelor in town by throwing his lot in with hers.

Still he apologized to her as they walked across the square in the direction of the Justice Building. "I'm sorry about all this Katniss. I just wanted to help."

"You did Peeta.

"I don't know how we're going to explain the lack of a baby though," she added.

Peeta coughed loudly, his face turning beet red.

"I don't think Miss Trinket cares about that so much as long as the paperwork is filed," he finally answered. "Anyway it's not like she asked for some kind of proof, like a note from a doctor."

"Look Peeta, could we agree not to tell Prim the story you told Miss Trinket? I don't want her thinking I was sneaking around having…." Her voice trailed off.

"Sure. What do you want to tell her?"

"I don't know." Her sister would be excited when she heard that Katniss and Peeta were together – it seemed liked Prim had been overly fixated on Peeta lately.

"How about I say that we were so madly in love that we couldn't wait any longer to get married." His voice had a teasing quality to it.

It made her laugh, and blush even. At least her husband-to-be had a sense of humor.

The process to legally become man and wife in Twelve consisted of filling out some paperwork. Katniss signed her name a couple of times alongside Peeta's and the marriage became official.

Becoming Prim's legal guardian was more involved. Katniss was handed a stack of paperwork to fill out and return in a few days.

"I'll get you a ring," Peeta said as they walked back to the bakery side-by-side.

"I don't need one."

Peeta reached for her arm to stop her. "Look Katniss, I realize that we don't know each other so well right now, but we have our entire lives ahead of us. I promise I'll do all I can to be a good husband to you. I want to do this right and buy you a ring."

Katniss gave him a small smile, looking away quickly as unexpected tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. Her eyes caught sight of a single, yellow dandelion growing up between two close-set stones in the paved square. How had that flower, likely seeded from one of the puff-balls that lined the train track when she arrived, manage to push through such a tight space and not only survive, but bloom so cheerfully? If only she could do the same.

Katniss had tried to be practical about her decision, but it _was_ sad, because she'd always hoped that she'd marry for love like her parents.

While she _liked_ Peeta, she wasn't _in love_ with him. And maybe she never would be.

And while she suspected Peeta considered her to be a friend at least, she knew he'd only married her to save his family's business and keep his father out of jail.

"All right."

Peeta grinned back at her. "You know we're supposed to be madly in love. You can kiss me at any time."

His joke brought a weak smile to her face. "I'll keep that in mind."

They set off walking again. Before they got inside the bakery door, two women rushed out toward them.

"Peeta, your father just told us that you were at the Justice Building to file paperwork for marriage? Is it true?" one asked.

"Yes, Saffron, it is." Peeta reached for Katniss' hand.

Katniss studied the pretty blonde. Her beady brown eyes reminded Katniss of Clove Sanders, the girl who'd stolen Cato away from her. A sudden rage came over her. Katniss was tired of these stupid girls visiting the bakery to flirt with Peeta. They needed to get lost.

She gave the pair a dark look before rising on her toes, throwing her arms around Peeta's neck, and claiming his lips.

He tasted of sugar and cinnamon, and when her toes grew tired and she started to fall back onto her heels, Peeta put his hands at her waist and lifted her up to prolong the kiss.

When they finally parted, the two women were gone.

"What was that for?" Peeta choked out, his cheeks flushed.

"Well you said I could kiss you anytime and I thought that now was a particularly good time."

"Oh, excellent," Peeta murmured in a daze. He opened the bakery door and Katniss entered facing her sister who had finished school for the day and was working the front counter.

"Katniss," Prim shrieked. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting married? I kept asking you about Peeta and you…."

"Oh Prim, I was going to tell you," she interrupted. She turned to Peeta and gave him a slight shake of the head. _Remember, don't tell Prim_.

Henry came out from the back of the shop. "Prim, why don't you go upstairs and start supper. I'll close the shop and count up the register. I'll join you soon."

He turned to Peeta and Katniss. "You two can finish cleaning up in back."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were in the kitchen less than five minutes when they heard a loud shout in the shop.

"Peeta."

Katniss was washing pans at the sink. Peeta was drying them and putting them away when Rye rushed into the back room.

"Holy hell, what have you done?"

"Hello Rye," Katniss said.

Rye startled at seeing her. "Welcome to the family, Katniss."

"Thank you," she said, washing the last tray. She set it on the counter and took off her apron, hanging it on the wall.

"I'm going upstairs husband," she said. She kissed Peeta lightly on the cheek, causing him to blush, then smirked at her new brother-in-law, and left.

As soon as she was gone, Rye blurt out. "Why'd you do it now Peeta? Did Dad catch you and Katniss…."

"No," Peeta hissed. "It was nothing like that."

Peeta made the quick decision not to tell Rye about Miss Trinket's threat to report Katniss and Prim to the Bureau of Immigration and shut down the bakery. Marriage would have happened eventually between him and Katniss; he was _sure_ of it, but his brother didn't need to know the particulars. He would only use them to mock Peeta.

"You could have had so much fun," Rye said. "It's like bread. Why settle for one kind, say pumpernickel, when there are so many different kinds to choose from. Try them all out before you settle down with the same loaf for the rest of your life."

"Did that plan work for you?" Peeta pointed out.

His brother flushed. "Well, it wasn't my fault."

"Delly might say otherwise."

A hardened look came over Rye. "Look at us now, both married men. Well, enjoy your wedding night brother."

He turned and left. Peeta slowly cleaned his cake station, stalling for time as he washed the frosting bags and tips and put the layer cake he'd been working on into the refrigerator.

His metal leg was aching as it usually did by this time every day. It would be a relief to take it off, but then he remembered that he was married now and would be sharing his bed with Katniss.

The thought that Katniss might see his stump made him ill. She'd been accepting of his prosthesis; she'd actually make a joke about it, but the severed limb was different. The skin on the bottom of his lower leg was heavily scarred. She would regret her decision to marry him, he was sure of it.

A feast was laid across the dining table when he went upstairs. A thick stew made of vegetables and seasoned with tiny bits of meat. A large loaf of dark bread. A bowl filled with apple chutney to top the bread. A cake he decorated earlier in the day that hadn't sold.

"There you are Peeta," his father exclaimed. "We thought you'd changed your mind."

He shook his head. So it was a little later than usual, but the bakery kitchen needed a thorough cleaning every once and a while.

Peeta looked for his bride. She was wiping down the stovetop, intent on getting rid of a stain that had been on it every since Peeta could remember.

"Let's all sit down," his father said.

They took their usual places. Prim and his father prattled on.

He and Katniss were both silent.

Peeta picked at his food, his stomach unsettled.

"Are we going to have the toasting after we eat?" Prim asked.

Peeta looked to Katniss. Gone was the woman who'd agreed to marry him so quickly this morning. In her place was a nervous girl who looked like she wanted to run away.

What had he done by running his mouth off to the matchmaker? Would Katniss ever forgive him?

"We already had a toasting this morning before we went to the Justice Building," Katniss said.

They didn't need a toasting to make the marriage legal; filing the papers was enough. Still, a toasting was traditional in Twelve, and it disappointed Peeta that Katniss didn't want one. It was only another reminder that this was a forced arrangement.

"You did." Prim was angry. "Why didn't you wait for me, Katniss?"

Katniss frowned as if she couldn't think of an answer.

Peeta jumped in to rescue her. "It's my fault, Prim. We should have waited to hold the toasting until you got out of school. But I was in too much of a hurry. You see, I'm so madly in love with your sister that I couldn't wait any longer to make things official."

He looked at Katniss' face as he spoke, taking pleasure in watching the pink color spread across her cheeks.

"That's so romantic," Prim cooed. "I wish Rory was as romantic as you."

Henry scowled at Prim. "You're too young to be thinking about such things. Now how about you and I clear the table so your sister can move her clothes into her husband's room."

Peeta led the way to his room, with Katniss following. He pointed out the empty drawers in the dresser where Rye's clothing had been stored. "You can use these ones."

"All right."

Buttercup had followed Katniss into the room. He jumped onto the bed and lazily studied the couple.

Peeta scooped the cat up into his arms, eager to escape. "I'll lock him up in the bakery."

When he came back upstairs, Prim had disappeared, only his father remained. He motioned Peeta over. "It's been a long day, I'm turning in early. Do you have any questions?"

"No Dad," Peeta stammered, embarrassed at his father's implication.

"I forget you shared a room with Rye for years," his father said. "Okay, then. Let me give you a bit of advice. Forget everything your brother ever told you. Take it slow. You've turned Katniss' life upside down today. You've got the rest of your life to get it right."

"Okay."

"And one more thing Peeta. Treat that girl well, or you'll have to answer to me. I like her. She's a better bookkeeper than your mother ever was. She's saving me a bundle because she's figured out every possible tax loophole."

Peeta nodded, biding his father goodnight and fleeing to his bedroom.

Katniss was closing the dresser drawer when he walked in.

"No card game tonight. My Dad wants to turn in early." His face was burning.

"Let me say goodnight to Prim then," Katniss said. She pulled out a white nightgown. "I'll be right back."

Peeta shut the door behind her and glanced around the room. It looked the same as always, but it would be different now. He pulled open the dresser drawers he'd turned over to Katniss. Her clothing lay neatly folded inside of them.

Peeta shut them quickly, nervous that she'd come in and catch him staring at her things.

He opened the window, which overlooked the square, and took in a breath of fresh air to steady himself. In the distance someone was yelling about dinner being burned. Peeta thought it might be Brendan Cartwright. For a quick moment he pitied his brother.

Quickly Peeta took his clothes off, tossing them onto the chair in the corner of the room. He sat down on the edge of the bed in his t-shirt and boxers. He fumbled with his prosthetic limb before removing it and laying it on the floor, just underneath the edge of the bed.

He pulled down the covers and climbed underneath the single blanket, waiting for Katniss to return.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss changed into her nightgown in her old bedroom. She gave Prim a shaky smile.

"Is this the first time you and Peeta…" Prim began.

"Prim," she hissed, cutting her sister off. "That's none of your business."

" _It is_ ," her sister chirped triumphantly. "I knew it."

Warmth rushed into Katniss' face. Maybe someday, this thing she and Peeta had done would become real, but for now it was only a way for her and Prim to stay in Twelve. Of course she would never admit it to her sister.

"So how long have you and Peeta…"

"Not too long," Katniss cut Prim off. "It was all very sudden."

"He's loves you so much. I can tell."

Katniss rolled her eyes.

"You should let your hair down for Peeta. Has he seen it that way?"

"No, but if it's out of the braid, it will be a tangled mess in the morning."

Prim snorted. "Who cares?" She reached for the end of Katniss' braid and removed the band.

"I can do it," Katniss fumed. She pushed Prim's fingers out of the way and unraveled her hair, running her fingers through it. She sighed in relaxation as it hung loose down her back.

"You better go now, or Peeta will fall asleep."

"Do you think so?" The idea comforted her.

"Go now," her sister urged.

Katniss stood up and Prim hugged her tightly. "Have fun, sis."

"Prim," she chided, the warmth returning to her face.

"Don't be such a prude Katniss."

Prim's comment stung as it reminded her of Cato's insult about being an ice queen. Of course that situation had been entirely different. She was only dating Cato; they hadn't been legally wed.

Did Peeta expect something would happen tonight? After all she had kissed him earlier. She hoped not. She wasn't ready.

Peeta was already in bed, sitting propped up against the pillows, when she entered the room.

His eyes ran up her night-gown-clad figure and stopped at her face. "Would you turn off the overhead light?"

"Sure." She flipped it off. Light from a lamp in the square filled the room.

"Is it a problem to sleep with all that light?" she asked as she made her way to the empty side of the bed.

"It's never bothered me. But I can get a shade if it bothers you."

Katniss lifted the blanket and climbed in.

She kept close to the edge, not wanting her body to touch Peeta's.

"Would you prefer if I slept on the floor?" he asked.

"No, don't do that." Her cheeks grew warm. "You were kind to do what you did today. But I don't know how long it will be before I want to… make this marriage real. It might be a very long time."

"That's all right. This is all new to me too."

She breathed a relieved sigh. "Good."

"I've never even had a girlfriend," Peeta murmured. "Er, have you had someone?"

Should she tell him? What did it matter now? Besides Prim might mention it one day. "Yes, I had a boyfriend for a while in Two."

Even though they weren't touching she could tell that Peeta's muscles had froze, because the mattress seemed to dip slightly. He'd taken in a sharp intake of air.

"Was it serious?" His voice was casual.

"I thought it was at first, but apparently he didn't."

"That's too bad. Do you think about him sometimes?"

"Occasionally."

"Oh. Goodnight Katniss. Sleep well."

The blanket moved and the mattress shifted again. Peeta had turned onto his side with his back toward her.

Katniss turned over as well so that her back faced his. She pulled her legs up into her chest, making herself as small as possible, and slowly drifted off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ever since Rye had married and moved out of their shared bedroom, Peeta had enjoyed waking up to an empty bed. It was a luxury he'd gotten used to after the tragedy when he'd inherited his older brother's room. He'd slept in the middle of the mattress, stretching out his arms, thumping the pillow soundly, and tossing and turning as much as he wanted.

So he was confused when he found himself lying on his side. He rolled onto his back and put his arms out to stretch. His right arm hit a warm lump.

Katniss.

He pulled his arm back immediately, hoping he hadn't woken her. He needed to get his limb attached quickly.

Peeta sat up, and twisted his body so that his legs hung over the edge. He bent over to pull the prosthetic out from beneath the bed. He was so familiar with the motions that he could easily put it on in the dark.

Once it was in place, he turned around to check on Katniss. She hadn't moved at all, but she had made a few sounds, a whimper and then a slight moan.

Those noises tugged at him, making him want to lie back onto the bed and reach for her. But he tamped down the thought. He could hardly imagine she'd be welcoming of his attention. Besides it was already time to fire up the ovens.

He stood up, grabbed some clean clothes from the bureau and dressed, his back to his sleeping bride. It dawned on him that this was the first time since the explosion that he'd slept without nightmares. Her presence in his bed certainly had a comforting effect over him.

Peeta shut the door softly as he left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss woke up to a cold bed. Was Prim up already? But as her hand ran across the rough sheet her eyes flew open. She was in Peeta's room, well their room now.

Relief flooded her that he was gone already. She wouldn't have to face the awkwardness of greeting him with her tangled hair and morning breath.

She got out of bed and dressed, then hurried to the bathroom, to clean her teeth and brush through her hair. The face that stared back in the mirror looked surprisingly rested, despite the previous day's upheaval.

Knock, knock. The wooden door rattled in the frame. "Are you in there Katniss?" Prim called.

"Yes, I'll be right out."

Her sister was smirking when she opened the door. "So was it everything you thought it would be?"

Embarrassed at Prim's implications, Katniss blurt out, "For crying out loud, what Peeta and I do is none of your business."

Prim recoiled. "You don't have to be so rude."

Katniss scowled. For a moment she thought to share everything with her sister. Tell her that she'd only married Peeta so they could stay in Twelve. But something held her back.

The reality of their situation was harsh and Katniss wanted to spare Prim from any more pain. She'd already lost her home and her mother. Why take away Prim's romantic notions, too.

That's why she'd kept silent and had moved into Peeta's room right away. Besides what did it matter if she moved in right away or months from now? The marriage bound them together permanently, til death parted them, the paperwork read.

At least Peeta had been a gentleman about the bed-sharing arrangement. He'd agreed to wait for her emotions to match the situation at hand. She was grateful. But then again, he likely needed time as well.

"You should use the bathroom," Katniss said. "It's late."

When they got downstairs, Peeta had breakfast waiting for them at the end of the worktable.

 _Do married people kiss good morning?_ The thought flew through her mind, but she didn't have to worry. Peeta gave her an awkward buss on the cheek, after he poured her a cup of tea.

"Good morning, Katniss." He smiled at her.

Her face grew warm. "Good morning Peeta."

He quickly returned to the table and put dough into bread pans for baking. His face took on a special look as he concentrated on his work. His usual easy expression was replaced by something more intense. Was he thinking about their sudden marriage? Could he be thinking about _her_?

The cheese buns could have been made of cardboard as she hardly noticed their taste so engrossed did she become in studying her new husband. His eyelashes were so long, that she couldn't imagine how they didn't get all tangled up when he blinked.

Peeta _was_ _very_ attractive. How was it possible that he had _never_ had a girlfriend? Was it solely because he wasn't intended to inherit the bakery?

He turned his head to glance at her and she looked away suddenly, embarrassed to be caught spying on him.

"How are the cheese buns today?"

"Good," she mumbled.

Prim laughed, and Katniss turned her head to give her sister an annoyed look.

When they finished eating, she and Prim filled the display cases before the bakery opened. She helped Prim at the front counter, until her sister had to leave for school. Then Katniss took over.

The shop got crowded. Katniss supposed many women waited until their children went to school to begin the day's marketing.

"Are you the new Mrs. Mellark?" a customer asked when she gave Katniss the coin for her purchases.

Word had certainly spread quickly.

"Ah, yes. Peeta and I went to the Justice Building yesterday afternoon."

As the next customer stepped up to the counter, Katniss overheard a voice toward the back of the line whisper loudly.

"She's probably pregnant like poor Delly Cartwright. Did you hear what happened to her? Henry Mellark should have kept better watch over his sons. His wife must be rolling in her grave."

Katniss lifted her head and searched the line trying to figure out who had spoken. But she couldn't tell. In fact, the customers seemed to deliberately avert their eyes from her.

She smoothed the apron down over her flat stomach and scowled at the woman before her. "What would you like?" she snapped.

The next few minutes were agonizingly long as she wondered which customer it was that had publicly insulted her.

Fortunately Henry came into the front to relieve her. "Go help Peeta in the back."

She nodded and fled from the counter, furious with the busybody who had maligned Henry, Peeta, and especially herself. Katniss hoped they choked on their bread.

A determined thought burned within. She would prove her worth to her new husband, her father-in-law, and the whole damn district. She was going to make sure Peeta forgot that he was stuck with her. Pay back Henry for all the extra expense she and Prim had brought to him. Laugh at the nosy customers when her stomach was still flat months from now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta was rolling out cookie dough.

Katniss came alongside him, causing his heart to beat faster. "I've finished the tax forms. What can I do to help?

"I'll cut them out. You can put them on the tray."

"All right."

Her dainty, agile hands made quick work of the task he'd assigned her. He wondered what those hands would feel like touching him, but quickly he reminded himself that he needed to take things slow with her. He didn't want to scare her.

Neither spoke as they worked. To Peeta's mind, it seemed an uneasy silence. They'd been comfortable in each other's presence before yesterday. Why did it have to be so different now? Maybe because their relationship wasn't natural anymore, but forced.

When the trays were filled, Peeta put them into the oven and set the timer.

He walked over to the cake station to begin making flowers to use for decorating.

Katniss followed him. "Can I help you?"

Peeta grinned at her eagerness to learn. He picked up a small, round piece of metal shaped like a nail with an oversized head and piped a rose onto it.

Once he removed the flower, setting it onto a sheet of waxed paper, he handed the metal piece and the frosting bag to Katniss.

The rose that Katniss made looked nothing like a flower and more like a blob.

She frowned.

"You're not quite there yet, but you're already better than Rye."

"You make it look so easy."

"That's because I've been doing it since I was little. There _is_ something to be said for practice. Here, let me show you how to do it again. I'll go slower this time."

She handed him back the frosting bag and the nail-shaped piece. Slowing down his motions as much as possible, he piped out another rose.

"Let me try." Katniss stretched out her hands.

Her second attempt was much better than the first. Still a line formed in the middle of her forehead, indicating her frustration. "I hate roses. This is harder than I thought."

"You'll figure it out. You've already improved over your first try."

She handed the tools back to him. "I'll practice later. I should let you get to work."

Peeta took the tools back and began shaping roses, while Katniss watched him.

The oven timer buzzed. He moved to set down the frosting bag, but Katniss turned toward the oven.

"I'll get it." She put on oven mitts to protect her hands and opened the door. She reached in to pull out a tray when her arm, hit against the side of the hot oven wall.

"Ooooh" She cried out in pain.

Peeta tossed aside the frosting bag, and hopped off the stool. "I'll get the cookies, Katniss."

He reached for a towel to protect his hands and pulled both trays from the oven.

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything right," Katniss said when he closed the oven. "I'm an awful baker's wife." She was already at the sink running her arm under the cold water.

"Katniss." He spoke loudly to get her attention over the running water. "This is all new to you. You'll figure it out. You've already learned so much since you got here. My Dad said you're a wonder at doing the accounts. I haven't a clue about all that.

A horrible thought occurred to him as he spoke. Katniss must have realized that the marriage was a mistake. She'd married the wrong person.

The idea of some imaginary suitor back in Two had been niggling at Peeta ever since she had mentioned him the previous evening. He must have been someone special if Katniss had fallen for him.

And even if Peeta didn't know the particulars about this mysterious man who had held Katniss' heart, most likely he had two fully functioning legs. So this rival already bested him.

"Is this about your boyfriend back in Two? Do you wish he was the one you wed?"

Her eyes flew open in surprise. "No." Her voice was firm.

Relief washed over him at the strength in her voice, although he wasn't quite sure that he believed her. Perhaps she was just being polite so as to not hurt his feelings.

"All right then."

"How is it possible that you've never had a girlfriend," she countered. "I find it very hard to believe."

"What?" Warmth rushed to his face as she reminded him of what he'd told her last night. He'd only mentioned his inexperience to put her at ease.

"You heard me. You're attractive and a hard worker, surely there must have been someone."

Peeta was immediately flattered at her opinion of his appearance and work ethic, until he realized that she was calling him a liar or a loser. He wasn't sure which.

"Oh, there have been girls." An exaggerated tone crept into his voice to cover his embarrassment. "But not a particular girl." _Not since I lost my leg. And not so much before then, either._

Her face deflated. "So you followed in your brother's footsteps? No one special, just anyone who struck your fancy."

"No." His voice was forceful. The last thing he wanted was Katniss to compare him to Rye. "I've never even been to the slag heap."

"What is this place, the slag heap? Your father mentioned it the first day we arrived."

Peeta's eyebrow's rose. _Why in hell had his father been discussing the slag heap with Katniss?_

"It's a spot near the entrance to the mine where couples can talk privately and… ah, get to know each other better," he mumbled.

"Well maybe we should pay a visit there. We don't know each other very well."

Take Katniss to the slag heap? The thought made him blush. They were married. They had a bed in a room with a door that locked where they could do anything they wanted. Still, Peeta had never been there. And as a married man, he wouldn't get another chance. A part of him had always been curious for the experience.

"All right," he agreed. "I'll take you there tonight."

"Katniss and I are going to take a walk," Peeta told his father after dinner, while Katniss and Prim washed the dishes.

"That's fine, because Prim and I have plans, too."

"Doing what?"

"We're going to give Buttercup a bath. Prim found a few fleas on him today."

Peeta chuckled. His father had washed the cat only once before, and he'd been left covered in scratches. "Well, be careful Dad."

"I know, I know. I'm going to make some chamomile tea beforehand, and let it steep while we wash him. I'm sure I'll need that cup afterwards."

"Have fun," Prim called out when he and Katniss made their way to the stairs.

Katniss turned back to shoot a dark look at her sister, making Peeta nervous. Had she changed her mind?

"How far away is this place?" Katniss asked as they walked out of the square and in the direction of mines.

"About a mile or so. It's just past the mine entrance."

It was a beautiful night to take a walk. The moon was nearly full, illuminating the path ahead of them. As they got further away from the lights of Town the stars appeared brighter in the clear sky.

But the temperature was cold, bitter even. When Katniss shivered in her thin coat, Peeta walked closer and put his arm around her.

She startled at first, but quickly relaxed into his side.

"I thought you said you'd never been there." She sounded suspicious.

"I never came here with a girl before. My brothers, well, everyone in school talked of it."

"So where did you take all those other girls then?"

Peeta gulped, caught in his stupid exaggeration. There were no other girls that Katniss had any reason to be threatened about. He'd kissed only two girls in his life, and one was on a dare from Phyl when he was fifteen.

But that part of his life had ended before it even began, when his leg was blown off.

"Not here," he mumbled.

The entrance to the mine was well-lit. Piles of slag lay on one side of it.

Katniss looked around. "Is this it?"

Peeta tried to imagine how it looked through her eyes. Like a garbage dump he supposed. Who would want to lie on a pile of blackened slag? Every male in Twelve apparently if it meant he could fondle a girl.

"It doesn't look like much from here. We should probably walk around. Perhaps there's a better section."

Peeta pulled his arm away from Katniss and reached for her hand. They had to walk carefully, lest either of them trip and fall on the uneven ground.

The heap was deserted, likely because of the temperature. But that was better. He'd rather not run into anyone he knew.

As they rounded the piles of slag, it was obvious that little nooks had been fashioned for couples. Raggedy, old blankets were laid out in several places, likely to make the experience all the more comfortable.

"Why don't we sit down here?" Peeta pointed to one blanket, a orange-colored one.

"All right."

He led Katniss to it, and they sat down. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her again to keep her warmth.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"It's not a very attractive location. It's hard to believe anyone would willingly come here."

"Well they're not coming for the view."

"Perhaps it's the conversation then," Katniss teased.

Both grew silent. Katniss rested her head on Peeta's shoulder. The chill in the air made Peeta think it could snow. _They should probably go home._

"Well, we might as well try it out since we're here."

"What?" Peeta twisted his head toward Katniss. Had he heard her correctly?

But already she was moving toward him, her lips crashing into his. He pulled away quickly. She had caught him by such surprise that he needed to take a breath. But once he got a breath in, he reached up for her face with his free hand and guided her lips back toward him.

Peeta may have not had much experience kissing, but Katniss appeared to know what she was doing, and he was a quick study. And he had paid some attention to his brother's offhand comments over the years.

Eventually his mouth left hers to dot tiny kisses across the side of her face. When his mouth fell upon her neck, she gave a tiny squeak that electrified his body, causing him to ease her backwards onto the blanket. Soon he was hovering over her.

 _This is spectacular_. Maybe Rye had been on to something.

Peeta lost himself completely in the pleasure of the moment. It wasn't until Katniss broke away and pushed at his chest that he remembered that they were at the slag heap on an icy night.

"It's getting late, we should go back." Katniss' voice was breathy. Her eyes looked dazed in the moonlight.

Peeta took a deep breath and sat up, helping Katniss upright as well. "Okay Mrs. Mellark. We can go home."

 _To our bedroom and begin where we left off._

Yes, taking Katniss to the slag heap had been a stellar idea.

They stood up and brushed their clothing off, and headed back to town, all the while Peeta thinking on how they could continue their kissing session in their warm and cozy bed at home, where there'd be much less clothing separating them.

"There's a place in Two like the slag heap," Katniss interrupted Peeta's fantasy as they walked. "A rocky craig near to one of the larger quarries. It's a much prettier setting. A lot of medicinal plants grow nearby."

A stabbing pain pierced Peeta's chest. He wanted to ask her if she'd been there with her boyfriend, but he couldn't. What if she answered `yes'?"

Peeta tightened his arm around Katniss as an image of her kissing an unknown man flashed through his thoughts. He was jealous of this man. He reminded himself that he had Katniss now. Or did he?

When they reached the square, they saw a lone figure sitting on a bench on the other side near to the shoemaker's shop. He was staring in the direction of the bakery.

"Isn't that your brother?"

"It is." Peeta lifted his arm and waved, but Rye seemed not to notice them. He lowered his head and rested it in his hands.

"That's strange," Peeta said.

"He looks upset." Katniss shivered next to Peeta.

He handed her the keys. "Go inside where it's warm. I'll check on Rye to see if he's all right."

Peeta set off across the square, taking care not to slip on the ice that was already forming on the stones. He wanted to ask his brother about gold rings, surely he must have purchased one for Delly by now.

But Rye didn't even notice him until Peeta was at his side.

"Hey Rye?"

Rye jerked his head up. "Holy hell Peeta why did you have to scare me like that?"

"Sorry, Katniss and I were just coming in and we saw you out here. I came over to say `hello.' Why are you sitting out here?"

"I'm thinking."

"But it's freezing."

"I didn't notice."

A nervous sensation formed in Peeta's chest. "Did something happen Rye?"

"Yeah, something happened."

"What?"

"Delly's not pregnant.

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry." Peeta put his hand on his brother's shoulder to comfort him. "How is she? Is she all right?"

Rye snorted. "She's fine, Peeta, more than fine. It seems she never was pregnant to begin with. She made it all up."

Peeta's mouth dropped open. He pulled his hand off his brother's shoulder and ran it through his hair. Peeta remembered how Delly couldn't meet his eyes that night she'd come to the bakery with her father.

"She confessed to me a couple of days ago."

"But why would she…" Peeta began to ask but Rye cut him off.

"Believe me if you lived in that house," Rye tilted his head in the direction of the shop, "you'd understand why she did it. I'm furious with her but even I can understand her reasoning. She needed someone to step in and help, but I wish she would have picked some other guy. But I guess I set myself up for it."

"I don't understand."

"You know how Dad was so sad after Mom and Phyl died, but he got better. Hell he even planned to remarry. Well Brendan hasn't gotten past it. He's just so angry about Sam's death. He's always had a temper even when we were kids, but he's a bully to Brigit and talks to Delly like she's the Town…well, he made her dress in those baggy clothes to hide her figure.

 _Well she obviously didn't hide it from you._

"And it's causing him to make the stupidest mistakes at work, I'm just learning the trade and even I can see something's wrong.

"The thing is I don't know how I can help. I wish I didn't have to get involved."

"You're married to her," Peeta reminded him. "You don't have a choice about getting involved."

"You're right about that. When Delly first told me, I read through the entire stack of papers we took home from the Justice Building to look for any loopholes. It's too late to get an annulment obviously; Brendan's already chewed me out because he heard us through the thin walls. And now I know why there are no divorces in Twelve; it costs a damn fortune.

"Besides even if I could somehow get out of the marriage, I can't waltz back into the bakery. You're married now…"

Peeta's stomach dropped. _If Rye were to come back and claim his position at the bakery, he and Katniss were sunk. No wonder his brother was so upset yesterday when he'd heard about Peeta's and Katniss'marriage._

"I wouldn't do that to you Peet. And as angry as I am with Delly right now, I know it wouldn't be right to bail on her. She's probably the only woman who liked me before I was due to inherit the bakery."

An unexpected smile came over his face. "Did you know she's had a crush on me ever since we were kids?"

Rye wrapped his arms around his chest. "You're right it _is_ cold out here. Look Peeta, don't say anything to Dad. I'll talk to him later when we figure out how to tell Delly's parents that she's not pregnant. I'm not looking forward to that conversation. I need to go in. Good-night."

Rye stood up and went toward the alley between the shops, leaving Peeta stunned.

What a mess. Peeta knew his father would be upset about Rye's situation and disappointed that a grandchild wasn't on the way.

When Peeta got upstairs the lights were already turned down. Everyone had gone to bed.

By the time he reached the bedroom, Katniss was asleep. It was probably for the best though because he was in no mood to kiss his bride senseless. His spirit was drained.

Peeta had trouble falling asleep. Rye's story about Delly trapping him into marriage bothered Peeta because parts of it sounded eerily familiar. Hadn't he done the very same thing to Katniss? Yes, he'd provided a way for her to stay in Twelve, but hadn't he used her, too, to keep the bakery open and keep his father out of jail?

Yet she'd been the one to suggest a visit to the slag heap. She'd started the kissing. Why? Likely because she was forcing herself to make the best of a bad situation, the same as his brother was doing.

It made Peeta ill to think she might be as upset with him as Rye was with Delly. He fell asleep realizing he'd forgotten to ask his brother anything about the ring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"It doesn't look _so_ bad Henry. Your face should be healed up in a few days."

"Still, I think I'll stay in the back until the scratches scab up at least," Henry said. "I don't want to scare our customers. Katniss can work the front."

Expecting the worst, Katniss rushed into the living area to find Henry perched on the edge of an upholstered chair, dabbing at his bloody face with a cloth. Prim stood next to him holding up a hand mirror.

They both turned to stare at Katniss.

"Oh Henry." She frowned as she saw the wounds the cat had inflicted on her father-in-law.

"Have a nice walk?" he countered.

"Yes." She bit back a smile, thinking about the unexpectedly thrilling time she'd had. "Peeta will be in soon. He's outside talking to Rye. What happened to your face?"

"Let's just say Buttercup didn't like his bath."

Katniss surveyed the room. "Where is he now?"

"I locked him downstairs," Prim said. "Look what he did to my arm." Her sister pulled up her shirtsleeve to reveal a long scratch.

"Have you cleaned that wound?" Katniss asked.

"Yes, I washed it with soap.

"You need to put some honey on those scratches to prevent scarring."

"Honey. I've never heard of that." Henry took the mirror from Prim. "But I'll give it a try; you were right about the chamomile tea." He sauntered off to the kitchen.

"Where's Peeta? Prim asked.

"I guess he's still talking to his brother."

"Where did you go?"

"For a walk."

"I know that. Where did you walk _to_?"

"Oh, just around." Her cheeks burned at her lie, but maybe it was only her body thawing in the warmth of the room. Katniss hadn't realized how cold she was until she'd come inside their cozy bakery home.

At any rate she certainly wasn't going to tell Prim that she and Peeta had paid a visit to the slag heap. She didn't want Prim to know that places like that even existed – places where couples tested the boundaries of their moral restraints, often giving into their passion.

Katniss would kill Rory Hawthorne if she ever found out that he had taken Prim to the slag heap. Under normal circumstances, Katniss would never have gone to that place either. She'd rejected Cato's suggestion to visit a similar site in Two.

But her situation _wasn't_ normal. She needed to show Peeta that he wasn't stuck with her. Anyway, they were married. They were _supposed_ be passionate about each other.

Prim gave her a smug smile, like she didn't believe a word Katniss had said, before saying good-night and heading for her room.

Katniss decided to turn in as well. She wanted to undress and put on her nightgown before Peeta returned. While the previous hour they'd spent on that dirty blanket had left her excited, it hadn't taken away her innate modesty. If anything she felt shyer toward her new husband.

A part of her wanted to finish what they'd started. And why shouldn't they? The paperwork that legally bound them together sat atop their bureau.

But the practical side won out. This was all happening too fast. Kissing Peeta had jumbled up her emotions, in a nice way, but still she wanted some time to savor them first, before things went any further.

Maybe they could talk for a while when he returned.

Katniss lay in bed waiting for Peeta. When he didn't come back, she got out of bed and looked out the window. She could see him across the square still speaking with Rye. His shoulders were sagging and her heart sank. What latest drama had his brother revealed?

She shook her head and returned to bed to relive the memory of lips that tasted of sugar, warm hands that went under her coat and pressed up against the thin fabric of her shirt, the weight of a heavy body resting atop hers.

She fell asleep with a smile, basking in the thought of Peeta's enthusiastic response to her, desire so very different from Cato's mechanical moves that had always left her feeling hollow.

The bed was empty when she woke up. Had Peeta even come to their bed last night? Katniss had no memory of it; she'd slept so soundly. But his pillow was flattened, the sheet was creased, and the blanket thrown back on his side of the bed.

But even with him already gone, she was happy. After last night, surely their relationship had taken several steps forward. Peeta must already be realizing that she was worth being stuck with. She certainly had fewer regrets.

When she arrived downstairs, breakfast was already waiting for her at the usual spot. Peeta waved to her from across the worktable and gave her a lopsided smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle up, but he didn't come over to kiss her. He didn't wish her `good morning.'

It was disappointing, but maybe Peeta, too, was shy about the previous evening.

Katniss found herself humming as she and Prim put the baked goods hastily into the display counter. Per Henry's request, she stayed in the front to work the counter after Prim left for school.

Her mood was so cheerful that she forgot all about the insult of the previous day as she served the morning customers.

By 11 a.m., the shop was empty. Katniss went into the back to carry out the last of the baked goods to re-stock the case. When she returned to the front, with a tray, Effie Trinket stood in front of her, dressed in another gaudy costume, and wearing a different wig – this one was pink.

Katniss sighed, her happy mood falling flat. _Couldn't the woman leave them alone?_

"Can I get you something?" A note of irritation crept into Katniss' voice.

"I'd like some more of those delicious sugar cookies."

 _Had she already eaten a dozen sugar cookies?_ Katniss made quick work of assembling the items.

"I assume you've filed all the paperwork and are now officially married."

Katniss nodded, as she took the woman's money.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see it. I want to verify that The Capitol Matchmaker's Group will not be held responsible should our books be audited."

Without answering, Katniss walked to the open doorway separating the shop from the back kitchen. "Peeta, Miss Trinket is here and wants to see the paperwork to prove that we're married."

Peeta and Henry were working at the table. Both looked up at her words.

"I'll go upstairs and get it," Peeta said, wiping his hands on his apron and rushing past Katniss. Henry wiped his hands clean as well, following his son out of the back but staying at the front counter to talk with the matchmaker.

Miss Trinket's eyes grew big as she took in the long scratches on Henry's face.

Before she could say a word, Henry explained that he'd been attacked while giving the family's cat a bath. "You know if you push us Mellarks hard enough, we will fight back."

The not so subtle metaphor flew right over the matchmaker's head. Or maybe she understood exactly what Henry was implying but she decided to ignore him.

Miss Trinket pulled a wrapped box out of the bag over her arm and handed it to Katniss. "I brought a present for you. I know it won't make up for the loss of your mother, but …"

 _Did she think a gift would make up for forcing her into a marriage of convenience?_

Awkwardly Katniss accepted the package. She held the small, neatly-wrapped, rectangular-shaped box while Miss Trinket stared at her excitedly.

 _Was she supposed to open it right now?_

Carefully Katniss undid the ribbon and tore off the paper. Setting the box down on the counter next to the cash register, she lifted the lid.

Inside sat a silver spoon with a long handle. Katniss stared at it baffled. Why would Effie give her an eating utensil?

"It's for the baby. For when he begins to eat solid food."

Katniss dropped the spoon back into the box, inwardly groaning _._ "Thank you, it's lovely."

"I purchased it at that big market at the edge of town."

"You must mean the Hob," Henry said. "That used to be an _illegal_ market before the war."

"Well, it's lovely and quaint. So many stalls and so many craft items. I wish there was some place like it in the Capitol.

"Although it took me forever to find your gift. I had to go to so many stalls. But people were helpful when I told them it was for the baker's son and his new bride from Two who were expecting a little one."

Katniss scowled. The woman was insufferable. Spreading stories about a fake pregnancy. It would only further the gossip already going around.

Peeta returned with the paperwork. He handed it to the matchmaker.

"Look Peeta, Miss Trinket gave us a spoon for the baby," Katniss said sarcastically, taking the spoon out of the box and holding it up as the matchmaker looked through their papers.

Her husband rubbed at the back of his neck and gave Katniss a sickly smile. "That's nice."

Miss Trinket lifted her head. "Yes this seems to be in order." She looked to Peeta. "I've been thinking about you and Katniss. Your story is exactly the kind of thing that The Capitol Matchmaker's Group can take advantage of. Despite your unfortunate loss," she looked at Katniss, "you've found love here in Twelve."

"Would you both agree to let us film you for a commercial for The Capitol Matchmaker's Group? You're an attractive couple and your bride has that pregnancy glow about her.

"I can only hope I'm glowing as much when I bear the baby of the man I love."

Katniss almost laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of Miss Trinket's comment. Glowing? Was the woman crazy? The reason her cheeks were rosy was because the oven kept the bakery overly warm. And wasn't Miss Trinket a little old anyway to be thinking about giving birth.

But as Katniss studied the woman, she wondered if the heavy makeup and strange clothing were making her appear far older than she was. At certain angles Miss Trinket didn't look more than twenty-five or so.

"A commercial?" Peeta repeated.

Katniss mouth dropped. She's been so focused on the woman's absurd compliment about her rosy cheeks that she hadn't fully comprehended her request.

"Yes, a commercial to advertise The Capitol Matchmaker's Group. It would air in all the districts."

The thought that Cato might see the commercial and realize that Katniss had moved beyond him gave her a gleeful sense of satisfaction for a brief moment, until she realized that the matchmaker would likely want to play up the fake pregnancy as part of the ad.

Katniss turned toward Peeta panicked. He met her eyes and she gave him a slight shake of the head.

"Nope, we're not interested." Peeta put his arm around Katniss, the same as he'd done at Miss Trinket's last visit. She sank gratefully into his side. "We'd prefer to keep our lives private."

The matchmaker's mouth fell open, as if she was astounded that they would turn down an opportunity to garner national acclaim.

"But certainly it would bring business to the bakery," she sputtered.

"We have enough business already." Peeta's voice was firm.

"Thank you for getting rid of that woman," Katniss said later when Prim was working the front counter and she and Peeta were alone in the kitchen. "I'd rather chew my hand off than do a commercial for The Capitol Matchmaker's Group. They've messed up my life enough already."

The hurt on Peeta's face made her realize the extent of her insult. "I don't mean you and your father," she backtracked. "You've been nothing but kind to Prim and I. More than kind. It's just that this entire situation has been so completely unexpected…"

"I know."

The resigned tone of his voice made her heart sink and she berated herself for reminding him of the reason behind their quick marriage.

She needed to set things right, tell him how much she enjoyed their time at the slag heap.

"I had a good time last night," she announced out as she walked past him to put a dirty tray into the sink.

He stopped her mid-stride by pulling at the tie at the back of her apron.

"So, you liked our walk then."

"I did…and what happened later, too. Sorry I fell asleep before I could tell you."

But instead of smiling or flirting or suggesting they pick up where they left off, his face dropped.

"Yeah about that. Rye needed to talk to someone."

"That's all right. I understand." _Rye was only reaping what he sowed and he obviously wasn't happy with the harvest._

Later, when Henry returned with meat from the butcher shop and Prim had joined him upstairs to prepare dinner, someone banged on the shop door. Peeta went to the front to see who was pounding.

Katniss could hear Rye all the way in the kitchen. "Holy hell Peeta, you could have mentioned last night that your _wife_ is pregnant."

Katniss dropped the tray she was drying and hurried into the front, hoping Prim hadn't heard Rye's loud accusation upstairs.

Before Peeta could even respond, Katniss blurt out, "Where did you hear that?" How far had Effie's story spread? At this rate it wouldn't be long until Prim came to her with questions.

Rye turned to her. "From a customer who came into the shoe shop this afternoon. Seems that matchmaker is back in Twelve, no doubt trying to find a soulmate for The Mockingjay, and told half the vendors at the Hob that you're having a baby."

 _Great_.

"It's not true, Rye. Dad was talking about becoming a grandfather to Miss Trinket when she stopped by the shop a couple of days ago. She must have gotten confused." He gave Katniss a slight nod and she realized that he hadn't told Rye the real reason behind their quick wedding.

Rye paled. "Okay, that makes sense. The problem is that Brendan is convinced that I fathered Katniss' imaginary child."

"You're the father?" Katniss burst out laughing because the idea was so revolting. As if she would have anything to do with a womanizer like Rye Mellark.

"What the hell?" Peeta slammed his fist onto the wooden counter, startling Katniss.

"Don't act so surprised, Peeta. I told you he was unbalanced. Would you please come back with me Katniss and tell them that it's a mix-up."

"Why should I…" she began.

A glum look came over Peeta. "Maybe you should do it."

"Okaay, if you think it will help."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Brendan thought Rye was the father_. While it didn't surprise Peeta knowing Rye's reputation and his father-in-law's mood swings, still it bothered Peeta immensely.

He slammed things around as he finished cleaning up the kitchen, until it dawned on him that he was getting worked up over a _fictional_ baby.

He'd never thought much about being a father. But he was married now and perhaps someday in the far off future, after Katniss had fallen in love with him and was long past the point of feeling forced into the marriage and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would have happened anyway, she _might_ consent to have his child.

At least she'd liked what they'd done at the slag heap. _That_ certainly bode well for his future fatherhood.

Peeta stayed downstairs cleaning until Katniss returned. But he could hardly ask her about how things had gone because Prim had appeared at that very moment to call them up to dinner.

"Are you going for another walk tonight?" Henry asked as the meal drew to a close.

"I don't know," Peeta mumbled. "It was awfully cold last night."

"No, we should go," Katniss said, standing up. "For a short walk."

Peeta's eyes widened. "If you want to." _Did she want to go back to the slag heap?_ He wouldn't complain even if the blanket was iced over.

Katniss interrupted his thoughts. "Could you bring your satchel and a flashlight?"

 _Why would they need that?_ He stood up, put on his coat, and grabbed the satchel and a flashlight before leading her outside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss had been surprised that Peeta asked her to help his brother out. But she'd followed Rye back to the shop, taking Miss Trinket's baby gift along, hoping she could pass it over as a peace offering.

As they walked across the square, Rye told her about his father-in-law. "He hasn't recovered from the death of Delly's brother and he's taking it out on all of us. He's always angry, and now he's making wild accusations."

It crossed Katniss' mind to tell Rye that he was a fine one to talk about making wild assertions after telling Peeta that Henry had determined that she was to marry one of his sons. But her brother-in-law didn't know that she'd overheard that conversation.

However if Rye was right about the sad state of affairs in the Cartwright household, Katniss pitied the entire family, Rye included.

She knew what it was like to live in a place where the head of the household was in despair. It affected everyone around them. While her own mother had gone silent and curled up into herself, it wasn't uncommon for persons suffering from melancholy to have the opposite reaction and lash out at others.

Many of Lily's customers in Two had suffered from that malady. Their attitudes had improved greatly after regularly imbibing medicinal teas made from a variety of plants, including chamomile, hypericum peforatum, and rhodiola rosea.

Unfortunately though, with winter at the door, Katniss had no way of obtaining those plants now. The best she could do was to persuade Henry to part with some of the chamomile flowers she'd given him.

Rye led her up to the family's living quarters, as the shoe shop had closed. Katniss' conversation with Brendan was short and he acted as if it had all been a joke and that Rye had overreacted.

But the tension in the family's living room was thick. They all seemed on edge, as if they were actors in a play trying so hard to not make a mistake with their lines.

Brigit invited Katniss to stay for dinner, but she refused, desperate to be gone. She handed over the box to Delly, who looked as if she'd lost weight since her wedding, making Katniss fear for the health of her unborn child.

A strange look came over Delly's face and a sound like a dying animal sprang from her throat after she opened the box. She ran out of the room. Rye sprinted after her and Katniss took the opportunity to bid Delly's parents good-bye.

Katniss couldn't stop thinking about the Cartwrights while she ate. Maybe she could find a still thriving medicinal plant to help Brendan Cartwright that had been sheltered by a tree or a bush. It was unlikely but it was worth looking around.

When Henry mentioned taking a walk again, she jumped at the opportunity, otherwise she'd have to wait for Sunday and that was days away. With this cold snap, every plant would likely be frozen soon.

"You're sure in a hurry," Peeta said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the square heading for the path they'd traveled the previous evening. "Eager are you?"

"Well, it's freezing. How far do we have to walk until we reach the turnoff for that meadow we crossed to get into the woods?"

"You want to go to the meadow?"

"I think that would be the best place."

"Excellent, it's not much further."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta could hardly believe his good fortune. It wasn't difficult to guess why Katniss had requested the flashlight; it was dark in the meadow, unlike the slag heap that was partially lit up because it was close to the mine entrance. In fact, if he'd known where she wanted to go he would have brought a blanket along too. The hard ground would be cold to lie on. He still hadn't figure out why she requested he bring the satchel, perhaps to contain their clothing if they disrobed, although it seemed far too bitter to do that.

"There it is up ahead," he pointed.

"The best site would be underneath one of the trees that border it or near to a bush," she said. "Can I have the flashlight?"

"Okay." Peeta let go of Katniss' hand and took it out of the satchel that hung over his shoulder. He handed it to Katniss.

She turned it on and set off in the direction of the nearest tree.

"Wait for me." Peeta hurried after her.

Katniss stopped in front of a tree and scanned the light across its base. "Nothing here."

She set off for one ten feet away.

"What's wrong with this tree?" Peeta called after her. "The ground is flat and fairly dry."

Katniss turned back to him. "There are no plants there I can use."

"Why do you need plants?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth Peeta realized that he'd completely misunderstood Katniss. She was in search of something far different than he'd supposed. No wonder she'd wanted the satchel.

"Never mind. Let me help you." He hurried to catch up with her, hoping that she didn't realize what an utter idiot he'd been. "Are you looking for something specific?"

"That's the problem, I don't know what I'm looking for. This isn't the time of year to gather medicinal plants. I was hoping I could find something that could help Brendan Cartwright."

Peeta had forgotten all about his brother's problem ever since Katniss had agreed to go out for a walk; his mind was focused on other things. "What happened when Rye took you to see him?"

"Brendan acted like it was all a joke, but something is obviously wrong. It's more than anger Peeta; it's a sickness. He needs medicine."

"Well, there's a medicine factory in Twelve. Maybe he should purchase some medicine from them. It isn't your responsibility to be searching for plants for him on a winter's night. His family should be helping him."

"They don't know what they're dealing with," she explained.

"And you do, Dr. Everdeen?" His voice was sharp because he was cold, and disappointed, and irritated with his brother right now. The evening had turned out entirely different than he'd thought it would.

Even though her face was in shadows, he noted her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sorry Katniss." He stepped toward her, intending to wrap his arms around her but she took a step back.

"My mother collapsed from grief after my father died." Her voice was even. "She was bedridden. I was eleven years old and I had to take care of everything for many months. It wasn't easy."

Peeta gulped at her story, embarrassed to have been so callous about Brendan Cartwright's pain, especially as he was familiar with grief as well. But somehow he and his dad and Rye had dealt with it – not perfectly by any means, but they'd survived.

"His family is hurting. Delly doesn't look well for someone who's having a child."

"Apparently she never was pregnant." Peeta told her what Rye had related the previous evening, along with the news that his father and Delly's parents still didn't know of the deception.

Katniss gasped at Delly's lie. "I wish I knew beforehand. Now I've probably made things worse by giving her the spoon. She ran out of the room afterwards."

"Why would you give her that spoon?"

"Why wouldn't I give it to her? We don't need it. I thought she was expecting."

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck. It had been an awfully long day. "Let's go back home. It's getting late and you're shivering."

Despite being upset with him, Katniss didn't resist when Peeta put his arm around her as they lay in bed. He supposed it was because she was still cold from their walk.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Light was already streaming into the room when Katniss awoke. She yawned, wondering if she'd ever be able to wake before dawn to help Peeta in the shop. What kind of baker's wife was she?

But after breaking into tears last night in the meadow when Peeta didn't understand _why_ she wanted to help Brendan Cartwright get better, she'd come to a clear realization. She missed her work of gathering plants and making healing teas.

Katniss made the bed, before opening the dresser drawer to get her clothing. She spied Prim's residency paperwork that she'd shoved into it, and made a mental note fill it out and return it today to ensure that Prim was a legal district resident.

Her sister was bagging up a customer's purchase when Katniss came into the front of the shop.

"You must have been tired Katniss to sleep in so late," Prim greeted her, after the customer left. "Is Peeta keeping you up?"

Her cheeks burned as she realized what Prim was accusing her of. You're married now, she reminded herself. That's what real newlyweds do, make love late into the night.

"Um…ah."

"You don't have to answer Katniss. You're face is giving you away."

The bakery's door opened and a short, elderly woman with white hair entered. She looked around in awe, as if she'd never been inside before. She shuffled up to the front counter. Instead of studying the baked goods on display though, her eyes jumped between Prim and Katniss.

"Are you the Everdeen sisters?" Her voice was gravelly.

"Yes," Prim said. "Can I help you?"

"I just had to come to see for myself. I can't believe you're here in Twelve."

"Excuse me, but do we know you?" Prim questioned.

"You don't know me, but I know about you. I'm your Granny Sae, your dad's Ma."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Our grandmother?" Katniss was stunned. She knew that the Capitol had unleashed a biological attack on Twelve just before the end of the war. Her mother had blamed the illness, which had targeted the middle-aged and elderly, for weakening her parents' health and causing their early death shortly after her marriage.

Her father had never mentioned his own parents and Katniss had assumed the illness had killed them and he'd been too upset to talk about it.

"I thought you died from the plague."

The woman shook her head. "I wasn't in Twelve when it was going round. I was working as a cook for the rebel troops that attacked the Capitol. But my husband, your grandfather, died from it."

"Oh," Katniss mumbled. But all she could think was: _I have another blood relative besides Prim._ If true, it was a comforting thought, until she realized what it meant. She could have stayed in Twelve without marrying Peeta. A sick sensation formed in the pit of her stomach.

Would Henry and Peeta think she had known about her grandmother all along and took advantage of their generosity? She gasped when she thought of how Peeta would likely react to this development. He'd _married_ her so that she and Prim _could stay_. Surely he would think she deliberately trapped him the same as Delly did to Rye.

Granny Sae looked at Prim. "I know Katniss' name, but what is yours dear?"

"Primrose Everdeen."

Prim ran around the counter and hugged the tiny woman, nearly lifting her off the ground.

When she let go, Granny Sae choked out, "I'm so glad to finally meet you girls."

"How did you find out we were here?" Prim asked.

"A young woman from the Capitol was in the Hob yesterday, I run a food stand there. She told me all about you two."

Her eyes flew to Katniss. "So when is my great-grandbaby due to arrive?"

Effie Trinket. A flurry of violent thoughts ran through Katniss' mind as she considered what she'd do to Miss Trinket if they were ever to meet alone.

Prim's eyes grew big. "Katniss?"

Katniss sucked in air through her clenched teeth. "I'm not pregnant Prim." She looked to the old woman in front of them. "That woman from the Capitol is mistaken."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Shouldn't you be heading off to school Prim?" Katniss asked.

Her sister glanced at the clock over the door and jumped. She untied her apron and tossed it to Katniss. "I have to hurry, I'm supposed to meet Rory before class. Good-bye grandmother, I'll talk to you later." She took her coat off the hook and dashed out the front of the shop.

"Did I hear Prim? Is she still here?" Henry walked into the front of the shop. "She better skedaddle or she'll be late." The scratches on his face had scabbed over. In some ways he looked even worse than the day before when the wounds were fresh.

"She just left." Katniss shook out Prim's apron and put it on.

Henry looked to Sae. "Have you been helped?"

"Oh, I'm not here to buy anything. I just wanted to meet my granddaughters."

Henry's mouth dropped open. He turned to Katniss in surprise.

She lifted her eyebrows and shook her head to indicate that she was just as astonished.

Henry rubbed at his temples. "You're Glenn Everdeen's mother?"

"Yes, although I haven't used the Everdeen name in a long time. I re-married after the war, although I'm widowed now."

Henry turned to Katniss. "I'll stay up front. Why don't you take your grandmother into the office so you can both talk."

"All right." Unlike her sister who had embraced the complete stranger with a hug, Katniss wanted more information before she admitted that this woman was their unheard of grandmother.

Granny Sae came around the counter to follow Katniss into the back.

"You're up," Peeta said, as Katniss entered the room. He set down dough and wiped his hands on his apron. "I'll get you some breakfast..." His voice dropped off as he took in the elderly woman walking behind her.

"Peeta this is Sae. She's my grandmother."

A strange expression came over Peeta's countenance for the briefest moment – a mixture of surprise and fear - but then his poker face dropped into place. He came forward and clasped the old woman's hands.

"I'm Peeta Mellark, Katniss' husband. It's so nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Sae said. "My granddaughter tells me she's not expecting yet but it shouldn't be too long when she's got a handsome lad like yourself helping out."

Katniss was mortified at Sae's words.

Peeta went beet red before stammering out, "Katniss hasn't had breakfast yet. Would you like some as well?"

"I'm never one to turn away a meal."

"Would you bring it into the office Peeta?" Katniss requested, avoiding her husband's eyes.

Katniss directed her grandmother to the small room at the back of the kitchen. Before they began speaking though, Peeta brought in two cups of tea and a plate with two cheese buns on it and set it on the desk.

"Thank you, dear." Sae smiled at him. "You're most hospitable."

"Well, you're family. In fact, why don't you join us for dinner tonight? I'm sure Prim would appreciate the chance to talk with you too," Peeta continued.

Katniss looked askance at Peeta _. Why would he invite the woman to eat with them before Katniss even checked out her story?_

"That would be lovely. If it's all right with you, I'll bring along Crystal, my youngest granddaughter. She's only three. It's just her and me now."

Automatically Katniss' eyebrows rose. _Her father had a sibling?_

"She's not blood-related to you and your sister," Sae continued answering Katniss unspoken thought. "She's a granddaughter to my second husband."

As Peeta left the office, Katniss determined to take care of Prim's residency paperwork as soon as she spoke with Sae. She didn't want the woman thinking she could steal Prim away from the bakery to gain a live-in babysitter for her late husband's granddaughter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta shut the office door to give Katniss and her grandmother some privacy.

If the woman had contacted Katniss only a few days earlier, she wouldn't need to have married him because her residency wouldn't be in question. Was Katniss angry? It certainly explained the look on her face when he'd invited her grandmother to dinner.

Peeta had a sick feeling that this woman's appearance would make Katniss realize how trapped she was. What if she wanted an annulment now? If his brother was right, they were already qualified since their marriage had never been consummated.

They weren't in the office too long, when the door opened and Sae exited, followed by Katniss.

"I need to be getting to work; I have soup to make. But I'll see you tonight at six."

Katniss walked her grandmother out of the shop and then returned a little later with paperwork in her hands, causing Peeta's heart to skip a beat. Was Katniss looking over the marriage document to look for a loophole.

"We'll have to prepare something special," Peeta babbled. "Finding family left in Twelve is a reason to celebrate."

"It is," Katniss agreed, before going into the office.

Peeta worked and fretted for the next hour, until Katniss came out. "I'm going out for a short while," she said. "I need to turn in the paperwork to confirm Prim's residency."

"Okay." He breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be filling out _that_ paperwork if she intended to seek an annulment.

Shortly after Katniss left, Peeta heard a loud whoop in the front of the shop and then his brother's booming voice. "Holy hell, Dad what happened to you?"

Peeta listened in to the conversation.

"I tried to give Buttercup a bath."

Rye chuckled loudly.

"It's not that funny."

Rye's laughter died down. "Hey Dad can we turn over the _`closed sign'_ for a moment. I need to talk with you." His voice took on a serious tone.

"Okay Rye."

"Do you want to go upstairs?"

"No, we can go in the back. It's all right in fact if Peeta and Katniss hear. Besides Peeta already knows…"

As his father and brother stepped into the back, Peeta set down the frosting bag at his decorating station. "Katniss is out right now," he said to them.

"What's going on son?" Henry asked. "You're scaring me."

Rye cleared his throat. "It's about Delly and the baby."

Henry's hands flew to his temple. "Oh no, what's happened?"

Quickly he explained the situation to his father. Henry's face grew red. "She lied to you?"

"Yes. But she had her reasons."

"What reason could she possibly have Rye? You were in line to take over the bakery and she's taken your family's business away from you."

"You and I both know I would have been an awful baker. Peeta's always been better suited for it. He could even out-decorate Phyl."

Peeta beamed at his brother's praise. His oldest brother Phyl had been a fine decorator. He'd taught Peeta everything he knew.

"Why did she do it?" Henry asked again.

"For Brendan."

"You said he hates you. Did Delly deliberately bring you onboard to get back at him?"

Rye shook his head. "To help them. Brendan Cartwright isn't well. He hasn't recovered from Sam's death."

Henry's shoulders sagged. He sighed deeply. "Oh."

"At least you had Peeta and me… afterwards. He only had Delly..."

"And now the poor man has just lost a grandbaby that never existed."

"We told him and Brigit last night after Katniss came over."

"Katniss?" Henry's eyes narrowed. "What's she got to do with all this?"

"She was only trying to help," Peeta interrupted. He didn't want Katniss's reputation getting tarnished because he'd asked her to help his brother out. "In fact we were out searching for medicinal plants last night that she could make into a tea for Brendan." _Or at least Katniss was looking._

Henry rubbed his temples. "Look I don't what secrets you boys are keeping from me but this has got to stop right now. I'm tired of getting blindsided by both of your antics."

The room fell silent as Henry glared at his two sons.

He sighed. "Maybe I can talk to Brendan. I don't think I would have gotten better myself if I hadn't talked to Haymitch so often."

Rye guffawed.

Peeta's eyebrows rose.

"Don't act so surprised. That man's been through hell and back. I haven't experienced anything that he hasn't had ten, maybe a hundred times worse. He's a good listener. Maybe that's what Brendan needs. Someone to listen to him."

Henry turned to Rye. "Why don't you bring Delly and your in-laws over for dinner tonight. Maybe it's time we all got to know each other better."

"I don't know if he'll even come," Rye muttered. "He didn't even get out of bed this morning."

"I already invited Katniss' and Prim's grandmother to dinner," Peeta said.

"This is the kind of thing I'm talking about Peeta. When were you planning to tell me about this?" Henry sighed loudly. "The more the merrier I suppose. It would probably do Brendan good to be around other people. Does he get out much Rye?"

"No."

"And he wouldn't get near the volume of customers we do in here."

"The way he treats them, he's lucky he gets _any_ customers. I think everyone in Twelve puts extra cardboard in the bottom of their shoes to avoid doing business with him."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating Rye," Henry said. "Just see that Brendan gets here by six. Or you can tell him that I'll be coming over to rouse him."

"I'll do my best."

"Let me get my coat," Peeta said. "I'll walk you back."

His father's admission that his conversations with Haymitch helped him had given Peeta a thought. Why should he keep his concerns about his marriage bottled up? In many ways Rye's situation mirrored that of Katniss'. Maybe his brother would have some advice that could help Peeta.

"Well, that went way better than I thought," Rye said when they shut the bakery door behind them and set off across the square. "I wish Brendan and Brigit had taken it as well. Hey, what did Dad mean about _your_ antics?"

Peeta's cheeks grew warm. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I need some advice. You see I kind of forced Katniss into marrying me."

Rye stopped walking and turned to stare at his brother. "How did you do that?"

"A few days ago, Miss Trinket stopped by and threatened to take Katniss and Prim back to Twelve because they were here illegally. She said they couldn't stay unless they had a family member to sponsor them. So I told her that Katniss and I had a toasting, and that she was pregnant so they wouldn't kick her out of Twelve since we didn't have any paperwork."

Rye snorted. "So _that's_ what happened. You have a very colorful imagination Peeta. And Katniss _agreed_ to all of this?"

"Well, she was reluctant, but she agreed because she wanted to stay in Twelve."

"Sounds like a great start to a marriage." Rye set off walking again.

Peeta chased after him, aggravated at his brother's comment. _Rye was a fine one to talk about great marriage starts._

"Katniss agreed to work toward making it a real marriage. And then we went to the slag heap…"

Rye stopped so suddenly that Peeta almost fell on top of him. "You took your _wife_ to the slag heap?" He burst out laughing for a good minute. "Holy hell, you're something else," he choked out. "Well how did that adventure go?"

Peeta grinned thinking back on it. "It was spectacular, actually. But this morning her grandmother showed up, which means she didn't have to marry me at all. I'm worried that she wants out of the marriage Rye. But I love her. What can I do to change her mind?

"Have you actually talked to Katniss about all this? Told her how you feel about her."

Peeta shook his head.

"For crying out loud Peet, why not? Are you scared of your own wife?"

"No. It's just that there was this other guy back in Two."

"Well he couldn't have been so great if she left him to come to Twelve."

"Well…" Peeta stammered. "And there's my leg, too."

Rye shook his head. "Peeta you sound pathetic. Stop making excuses. If she was interested in this guy in Two she would have taken the matchmaker up on her offer to go back instead of marrying you."

It was a good point that Peeta had never considered.

"You need to sit down and talk with Katniss. Put all your cards on the table and tell her how you feel."

"I guess you're right. I told her I'd get her a ring. I need to do that too."

"I know a guy who can sell you one. His name is Bristel and he has a jewelry stand in the Hob."

They stood in front of the shoe shop. Through the storefront window, Peeta could see Delly behind the counter writing something into a book.

"Is that everything Peeta?

"Yeah."

Good. I've got to go in. I'm helping Delly take in the seams on her dresses so that they fit properly. "

"You know how to do that?"

"Well it can't be much different from stitching a sole onto a shoe."

Rye had his hand on the doorknob. "Just talk to her Peet. You've nothing to be afraid of. Delly and I have done a lot of talking. It's kind of nice actually. I never talked much to the others."

Peeta frowned.

"Believe me it was easier that way."

Rye opened the door. As the door slowly closed shut Peeta could hear his brother, "Delly you'll never guess where Peeta took Katniss…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Katniss walked back briskly from the Justice Building attempting to keep warm. She clutched a new set of papers in her hands. Papers that named her as the legal guardian of her sister and officially permitted Prim to stay in Twelve. She had no plans to tell Prim about the paperwork; she didn't want her sister to know what she'd done by marrying Peeta. But at any rate, it meant that Prim _had_ to live with Katniss, and that their new Granny could not step in and take charge.

As soon as Peeta had shut the door behind him, Katniss had told Sae point-blank that her father had never even mentioned her existence. Tears came into the woman's eyes as she confessed that her son had been hurt by her angry reaction to his marriage to Lily.

"It was so different in those days. When I grew up Seam and Town didn't mix. It was considered wrong. Things changed after the war, but it took me a while to get used to those changes.

"I wrote Glenn a couple of letters, but he ignored me. I finally had to let him go and make a new family for myself."

The story was a sad one and it hurt Katniss to know that her father could hold such a terrific grudge. Despite her loyalty to him though, it was difficult to find a reason to be angry with the white-haired woman who was so happy to find out she had two granddaughters.

When Katniss got back to the bakery, the closed sign hung on the door. She pounded on it until Henry appeared.

"What's going on?"

"I got tired of customers laughing at my face."

"They're not…"

"I'm teasing. We're hosting a dinner party and I've got a lot of cooking to do. Besides Peeta needed to run an errand.

"But it's only my grandmother and a three-year-old child. They won't eat that much food.

"There's more coming. I invited Rye and Delly, and her parents to join us as well."

"Oh."

"I gather you know about Delly's deception."

"Peeta told me about it last night."

"He said you were looking for a plant that might help Brendan. Would the chamomile flowers you gave me do him any good?"

"They would."

"All right then, I'll give him some of my supply."

Unexpectedly pleased, she threw her arms around her father-in-law.

"What's this for?"

"For your generosity." Truly her mother had been right when she talked of Henry's kindness.

Shortly after six, ten diners sat around the Mellark dining table. There weren't enough chairs to seat everyone, but Henry had carried a few stools from the bakery kitchen upstairs.

Sae had brought a pot of soup and a bottle of white liquor to add to the meal. Henry had roasted a turkey, stuffing it with chunks of bread and onions and mixing in savory spices. Prim made gravy from the turkey's drippings that was heated and poured over mashed potatoes. There were candied carrots and boiled turnips and three kinds of bread. A large cake sat in the center of the table, covered with frosted flowers.

"I don't think I've even seen such a feast since the war ended," Sae said, as she surveyed the repast before them.

Crystal sat beside her, twisting her light brown hair and waiting patiently as Sae filled her plate, not saying a word.

"That certainly was a celebration after Snow was defeated," Henry agreed. "People in Twelve had been scared to leave their house because of the plague, but when Snow's death was announced everyone ran out in the streets and cheered."

The look on Henry's face was so animated that Katniss thought he almost appeared as young as his sons in that moment.

"That was a great day Brendan, wasn't it?"

Sitting at the foot of the table, Delly's father set his fork down. He lifted his head to look at Henry. "It was a fine day at that. It was the first time the whole district ever came together, Seam and Town." He lifted his glass, tipped it in Henry's direction, and took a sip of white liquor.

"I was in the Capitol," Sae said. "While the Capitol population wasn't happy, the rebels were overjoyed. Some of our soldiers found a stockpile of foodstuffs in Snow's mansion. We had a banquet that lasted at least three days."

"How did you end up in the Capitol, Granny?" Prim asked.

Sae smiled. "I don't like to brag, but I was the best cook in the Seam. I could make the tastiest stews out of any kind of meat, dog, squirrel, you name it."

A collective groan was heard around the table, although Henry called out, "I love squirrel."

"Is that what's in this soup you brought?" Rye called out.

Sae laughed. "No, young man. This soup contains meat from the butcher's shop. Anyway getting back to your question Prim, the rebels offered me a job as a cook and seeing as your father and your grandfather could get along fine on their own, I joined the army."

"Was dad a soldier, too?"

"No."

"We were all too young," Henry explained. "The rebels didn't want anyone fighting that was still of reaping age. They said we'd already been though enough hell, but I think it was because they were worried the fight would go on for years and they wanted us to finish school first. Even Haymitch didn't see much action and he was the Mockingjay, the leader of the rebellion. He mostly did propos."

"What's that?" Prim asked.

"Propaganda spots," Henry answered, taking a sip from his glass. "So Sae what happened to you after the war?

"I went to District Thirteen."

"Why?" Prim asked.

"Rumor had it that germs from the plague still lived in Twelve. Your grandfather was already dead from it, and your father wrote me to say that he'd wed. Thirteen was looking to build up their population. So I went there instead. That's where I met my second husband. He was a widower with a daughter.

"Were you part of that group that moved to the surface and tried to farm the soil?" Brendan asked, leaning forward.

"I was. But it turned out the soil was still contaminated, although we didn't know it for a long time. The food that we grew didn't kill folk outright, but it caused a lot of birth deformities. Crystal, here, is addled because of it. Her mother ate toxic fruit and vegetables while she was growing up. The damage was passed onto the child.

"After Crystal's mother died, I decided to come back here. It was only the child and me left alive. And Twelve's my home after all.

"How is it that we didn't know about you Granny?" Prim asked. "Dad never…"

Katniss kicked Prim under the table to stop her from saying the words aloud. She hadn't had a chance to talk with her sister yet, but she planned to tell her privately. Katniss didn't want her grandmother to be embarrassed in front of everyone at the table.

Her sister gave her a curious look and Katniss shook her head at Prim.

Thankfully Peeta must have realized that something was amiss because he broke in, "You've certainly lived an exciting life Sae."

The old woman picked up her drink and took a long swallow before answering. "I suppose it sounds that way, but there were lots of hard times mixed in. But life goes on despite our losses. I've always tried to focus on the good things. And finding out I have two granddaughters is one of those good things."

She smiled at Katniss and Prim, causing Katniss to feel guilty. She'd been so suspicious of the woman, but Granny Sae was interesting and her manner of speaking even reminded Katniss of her father. He'd been an excellent storyteller, too.

After the meal, the party broke apart into smaller groups. Henry went downstairs with Brendan to bring some scraps to Buttercup who'd been banished to the bakery's kitchen early that night.

Granny Sae and Brigit settled in the living room to chat with Crystal tagging along, while Peeta and Rye wandered off in conversation as well.

Delly joined Katniss and Prim in the kitchen to wash the mountain of dishes. Her sister-in-law seemed shrunken in size, but Katniss surmised it was because her clothing fit better. It appeared that the seams on her dress had been taken in to reveal a shapely, buxom figure with a very small waist, assets that her baggy clothing had kept well-hidden.

Delly didn't specifically mention her vanishing pregnancy but she did allude to it.

"Do you want the spoon back?" she asked Katniss as they worked.

"There's no hurry."

"What spoon? Prim interrupted.

"It was a gift from Miss Trinkett," Katniss explained. "For Henry's grandbaby. Except he's going to have to wait a while longer now." Prim had been apprised of the latest development before the Cartwrights arrived.

"Maybe you should save it for me then," Prim quipped.

Katniss gave her sister a severe look. "Don't even joke about that Prim. You're far to young to be thinking about such things."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You have to see it." Peeta said, leading his brother into his old bedroom.

He opened up a bureau drawer and pushed aside a shirt. Underneath was a small cloth bag. He opened the drawstring and pulled out a gold ring with an apple pattern cut into it.

"This is nice," Rye said, holding it up and turning it around to study the design. "A lot better than the one I got for Delly."

He gave it back to Peeta, who put it back into the small bag. Noticing the marriage document on the top of the dresser, Rye picked it up.

"This is the part I was telling you about," he said thumbing through the paperwork, and folding back the page. "The loopholes. You have to be as rich as Haymitch Abernathy to get a divorce or as dried up as…."

"Hey," Peeta cut him off, pulling the paperwork from his brother's hand.

"Oh Peet, don't tell me you haven't… oh, holy hell you haven't, have you?"

"Rye, we've been married for less than a week and I forced her into it. We still need to talk."

"Well, if I were you I'd start talking as soon as you turn in tonight. You need to take care of this brother, as soon as possible. Because as it now stands she has the grounds to call off the whole thing."

After their guests had left, Henry sat in an upholstered chair, drinking a cup of tea.

"We have to do this again and soon, I can't remember the last time I had such a nice evening."

Although Peeta was eager to talk to Katniss, he was held captive as his father lapsed into a story Peeta had never heard before about how Henry had tried to run off and join the rebel fighters but had been stopped by Peeta's grandmother.

It was strange to see his father so nostalgic. Perhaps Henry had thought he was helping Brendan by inviting him to dinner, but truly he'd helped himself more. The conversation and company had cheered him up considerably. Even with his scabbed-up face, he was looking far more rested than he had in years.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Katniss, are you awake? I wanted to talk."

Katniss stilled her body, feigning sleep. Talk? Her heart was racing wildly. It was all she could do to not burst into sobs.

She'd come into her bedroom lighthearted after the pleasant evening. While getting ready for bed, she'd noticed that the marriage documents atop the dresser were bent back, as if someone had been riffling through the stapled pages. She picked it up to straighten it out when she glanced at the page on top.

The section title was written in a larger type and the letters were printed in bold. **"How to revoke the marriage agreement."**

 _Why had Peeta been looking at that page?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Through half-shut eyes, Katniss spied on her husband. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached underneath for his prosthetic, attaching it quickly; then standing up.

He stood facing the dresser and stripped, his backside naked as he opened a drawer and searched for clean clothing. His silver limb, which attached just above his knee, flashed for a moment in the soft morning light as he lifted his leg to put on his pants.

An awful longing came over her to call out to this man she'd shared a bed with for the past four nights. To tell him she was sliding down a steep slope, tumbling headfirst into something that took her breath away.

But the paperwork that sat on the dresser stopped her. She suspected that Peeta had wanted to talk to her last night about ending their forced marriage now that she had a relative living in Twelve. Why else would the page be bent back on the marriage document?

Katniss shut her eyes and took deep breaths to calm the panic that was swirling in her chest. She let out a loud sigh after she heard the door open and close gently. She sat up in bed and undid her braid, finger combing her hair, and then re-braiding it.

She'd lain awake half the night thinking about the logistics if she was correct in her assumption. _She'd have to tell her sister the truth because they couldn't stay at the bakery._

Hopefully their grandmother would allow her and Prim to move in. Perhaps she could assist Sae in her stall at the Hob. She could certainly help her grandmother by gathering wild greens for her soups and stews.

Katniss got out of bed and dressed, her eyes avoiding the dresser top.

"You beat Prim downstairs," Henry said, as she entered the bakery's back room. "That's a first."

Katniss gave him an embarrassed smile because it was true.

Peeta grinned at her across the worktable. "I'll put the kettle on for tea. You'll have to wait for your cheese bun though, they haven't even gone into the oven yet."

She wondered if his happy mood was because he'd be getting his freedom soon. She reminded herself that they _were_ friends. Likely Peeta thought he'd be doing her a favor by releasing _his friend_ from her forced commitment. But she didn't want to be set free.

The morning dragged along. Prim overslept and was in a grumpy mood. Henry talked happily of the dinner party the previous evening and was already making plans for another one.

Katniss stayed in front to work the counter after her sister left for school. When the customers had thinned out, Henry joined her.

"There's a shipment of supplies that is scheduled to be on this morning's train. Why don't you go with Peeta to pick it up?"

"Concerned about your appearance Dad?" Peeta joked about his father's scabby face as he came into the front of the shop.

A sad ached formed in Katniss' chest. She'd miss the playful camaraderie of working with Henry and Peeta.

"Nooo. It's just that it's a small order and you don't need my help with the cart. You can show Katniss how to check off the packing numbers against the stationmaster's list."

The outside temperature was surprisingly warm as she and Peeta pulled the cart across the square and in the direction of the train station. The cold snap had ended.

"Wait a minute," Peeta said, stopping. He unbuttoned his coat and tossed it into the cart. "Do you want to take your coat off too, Katniss?"

She shook her head. "I'm comfortable."

They set off again.

"I wanted to talk with you last night," Peeta began, "but you fell asleep early. I've been thinking…"

 _Was he going to tell her he wanted to end their marriage as they walked across the square with the cart?_

She interrupted him mid-sentence, stopping in place. "Just a minute. I think I _will_ take my coat off, too." She unbuttoned it and tossed it atop Peeta's.

As she looked ahead toward the station, the main entrance was roped off, along with a large section of the grass in front. A crowd was lining up to enter. Several people had carts similar to the one she and Peeta had.

"Is it always like this when the train pulls in?" Katniss asked.

"No, there must be a special delivery." Peeta paused as if thinking. "Oh I bet it's the memorial stone. It must have finally arrived."

"We'll never get through that crowd."

"I know a short-cut. There's a path on the left side of the station. It's closer to the area where the supplies are unloaded."

She followed Peeta's lead and they pulled the cart to the side of the building and onto a wide dirt path.

Ahead three men, dressed in dark clothing and wearing dark caps, were pushing a wheeled pallet toward them. On top of the platform sat a large object covered with a drop cloth.

"That must be the stone now," Peeta said. "Let's pull the cart close to the building so they can pass."

As the men got closer, they began to curse. The warm sun had melted the ice crystals that had formed on the ground during the cold snap. Mixed together with the dirt, the path had become a muddy mess.

"You'd think they would have paved this path," one of them said.

"Well, Twelve has never been known for its smarts."

Katniss gasped as the man spoke, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise. She knew that voice. Her throat tightened as she caught sight of the speaker. She'd never expected to _ever_ see Cato Ableman again.

 _His father must have carved the memorial stone for Twelve._

Peeta was frowning and Katniss guessed he was irritated with Cato's insult to Twelve.

She angled her head sideways, staring at the ground and held her breath, hoping they'd pass by quickly and that Cato wouldn't notice her, but unfortunately one of the front wheels fell into a small hole and the men couldn't push the pallet forward."

"We'll have to lift it up on this side Cato," one of the men said as he circled the pallet.

"Damn it," Cato swore. "This stone must weight a ton. We're going to need help." He lifted his head and his eyes fell upon Peeta who was standing close by.

"Hey, do you think you could lend us…" Cato began, but then he stopped.

"Is that you Katniss?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta turned to stare at his wife. All the color had drained from her face.

Before she could answer, the tall, muscular man in the watch cap spoke.

"I heard you moved here. Did your mom get herself a rich husband or something?"

A tiny choking sound came from Katniss' throat.

Concerned that she might burst into tears, Peeta answered for her. "Mrs. Everdeen died." He slipped his arm around Katniss' waist to hold her steady.

"Who are you?"

"Peeta Mellark, Katniss' husband."

"You _married_ her?" The man snorted and addressed Katniss. "I was going to look you up while I was here to see if the air in Twelve had loosened you up any. But I guess I'm too late."

 _Loosened her up? Who was this disgusting lout?_

Peeta glared at the stranger, noting that although he was taller, he moved stiffly. Peeta hadn't wrestled competitively in years, not since the explosion, but even with a metal leg he thought he might be able to best the man.

Still he wasn't looking for a fight. It would be far smarter to turn the cart around and return to the bakery with Katniss. They could come back later to pick up the supplies. But then the bully spoke again; this time to Peeta.

"Well good luck with Katniss. I hope she isn't such a cold fish to you as she was when she was with me. She was positively icy."

 _Who in hell was this guy?_

Peeta turned to his wife. A pained look appeared on her flushed face. She looked away when he tried to meet her eyes.

A sudden realization hit him. _This jackass must be her boyfriend from Two._

Indignation rose in Peeta's chest, a fury that he couldn't contain.

 _How dare this idiot insult the woman he loved._

Peeta's hand dropped from Katniss' waist. He lunged forward with his palms faced outward. The unexpected move succeeded in knocking the man to the ground.

"No Peeta," Katniss shouted.

But Peeta was too caught up in the moment to hear. He'd never been so eager to join into a fight. A primal sense of righting a wrong overpowered him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Stop it," Katniss shrieked over and over as Peeta and Cato rolled on the path next to the train station. Peeta's white baker's garb was getting dirtier by the minute as the two men fought in the mud.

Neither man paid any attention to her. But her cries attracted others to the scene.

Cato's co-workers were standing to the side shouting, but so were some of the people who had come to the station to pick up supplies.

Unable to watch any longer, Katniss fled, pushing through the crowd of onlookers.

She was about ready to burst. She jogged across the square, noting that the stem of the cheerful dandelion she'd admired on her wedding day had bent over and it's bright yellow flower appeared withered.

Surely it was an omen. She rushed out of the square and toward the road that led out of town. With no destination in mind, she found herself at the cemetery. Maybe because it was a fitting place for someone as broken as herself.

Her eyes searched for her parents' gravesite. Katniss knew the general location of the plot, but everything looked different now. When she'd been there before, the soil had been darker in color because the grave had been newly dug. Now all the ground looked the same. She began walking in the general direction, she remembered.

She took in a sharp intake of air when she caught sight of a flat stone in the dirt with a metal plate fixed onto it.

 **Glenn Everdeen and Lily Everdeen**.

 _Henry had taken care of arranging for a grave marker, and he hadn't even told her._

She was grateful to him, but seeing her parents' name edged into the marker made her feel as if they had died all over again. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself.

Underneath their names, it read: **Husband and Wife**.

The words made her think of Peeta, and she dropped to her knees.

"I can't do it anymore Mama," she wailed.

She traced a finger over the letters that spelled out "husband and wife."

"I got married," she said aloud. "To Henry's son Peeta."

A mental picture of Peeta fighting Cato flashed through her mind. But his actions didn't make any sense in light of the story she'd told herself about how Peeta wanted to end their marriage so she pushed that image away.

"I love him but he doesn't feel the same. And now that we've met Granny Sae….

"Why didn't you tell Prim and I about her Dad? You should have told us. You should have explained about the insults that you and Mama went through."

Anger flooded through her, and Katniss dug a hand into the ground, momentarily feeling a strange comfort as the muddy sludge oozed through her fingers.

She knew the one-sided conversation was pointless. Her parents were dead. It was too late for them to apologize for their actions, too late for them to give her advice for the situation at hand. She was completely on her own to figure things out.

Bending over to rest her face on the grave marker, she broke into tears and sobbed loudly.

She cried for a long while, when she sensed a figure standing over her. A shiver ran through her. Was it Peeta? Had he come looking for her?

She lifted her head. A familiar-looking man stood in front of her. His hair was gray, his mid-section protruded, and his eyes were the same color as hers.

"Are you all right, sweetheart? I was out walking and I could hear you bawling a quarter mile away."

As soon as she heard his gruff voice, she realized who he was. Haymitch Abernathy. The Mockingjay. She recognized the war hero from television.

Every few years, on the anniversary of the ending of the war, he was interviewed. Katniss remembered seeing him a few years earlier. He had been obviously drunk and her mother had shaken her head in disappointment.

"Your father and I went to school with Haymitch Abernathy," she said. "He changed so much after everything that happened."

One of the most famous men in Panem, Katniss had never seen him once since she'd arrived in Twelve, certainly not in the bakery, although Henry had spoke of him and delivered him baked goods on occasion.

"Are you all right?"

Embarrassed, Katniss got up, brushing the wet dirt from her clothes.

Haymitch pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Wipe your hand clean, too. You look like a child who played in the mud."

Katniss reached for it.

He glanced at the grave marker. "You a relative of these folks?"

"They're my parents."

"You're Glenn and Lily Everdeen's daughter?"

She nodded dumbly. _He remembered her parents?_

"I was just talking about you with Effie. She said you married Henry Mellark's youngest son."

 _Had Miss Trinket told every single person in Twelve?_

"You know I was the one who told Henry about your mother. I saw her picture in one of Effie's books."

"You did?"

"Oh, yes. He had such a crush on her when we were all young. He was too shy to even speak with her though. It's a shame things didn't work out for him this time around."

Overcome with guilt about her mother's failure to be honest with Henry, Katniss teared up again.

Haymitch reached for her shoulder. "There, there, stop crying. I don't do well with weepy females."

"She was dying," Katniss blurt out, eager to be rid of that secret.

"Yes, I heard she passed on the trip here." He glanced down at the grave marker and frowned.

"No, you don't understand. She was dying when she accepted Henry's offer of marriage. She wanted someone to take care of my sister Prim and me afterwards."

Katniss clapped her clean hand over her mouth. She was so stupid. Why had she told the Mockingjay all of this? He was Henry's friend. But she didn't know him except as a person on television. He didn't seem real to her.

Instead of condemning her mother's actions though, Haymitch complimented them. "Well, your mother was no fool. Henry would give the shirt off his back to a person in need. He helped me long ago after the war by listening to me bellyache about my troubles. That's one of the reasons I told him about your mother when I came across her photo. I wanted to repay him for his kindness so I took care of all the arrangements in making the match.

She considered the implication of his words. "You paid for our train tickets?"

The Mockingjay nodded, leaving Katniss in shock. She'd been fretting for so long about how to pay Henry back and all the while it was Haymitch she owed.

As if reading her mind, Haymitch quickly added. "Money means nothing to me. I have more than I'll ever need. Might as well use it to bring happiness to my friends."

A chilly gust of wind blew past them. The warmth of the day was gone.

"It will be dark soon, let's get out of here. I have no desire to see any spirits. I hold myself responsible for a good many of the dead in this graveyard."

Katniss walked alongside the Mockingjay as they left the cemetery grounds.

Uncomfortable with the silence, she made small talk. "Are you looking for a wife Mr. Abernathy?"

The man snorted. "Good grief, no."

"Then why does Miss Trinket visit you so often?'

The Mockingjay grinned. "So I can spend some time with her. The matchmaking books are merely an excuse. Otherwise Effie would have no reason to come to Twelve. There aren't many men in Twelve with the money or desire to order a bride."

Katniss raised her eyebrows.

"It's not what you think," Haymitch explained. "There's nothing between us like that. Effie, is…, well, I'll tell you my secret since you spilled one of your own, although I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself. Very few people know other than Effe and myself, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"All right," Katniss answered hesitantly.

"Effie is my daughter."

Katniss gasped. "But how is that possible?"

Haymitch smirked. "You do know how babies are created?"

Katniss scowled.

"Young victors have lots of groupies. Her mother was one of them, a young Capitolite turned rebel.

"I didn't even know that Effie existed until a few years ago," Haymitch explained. "She contacted me when I was in the Capitol for one of those damn war specials. It changed everything for me. I finally had a reason to stop drinking. When she got the job for The Capitol Matchmakers Group, we figured out a way for her to visit me regularly without anyone being the wiser to our situation.

"I don't know how long we can keep the ruse up, but at least for now I'm getting the chance to get to know my daughter without the media getting wind of it. I'm old, but Effie's young. She has her whole life ahead of her. She doesn't deserve to be hounded by those piranhas."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I guess because I want you to know that things will get better. Life goes on, no matter how bad your loss is. I gave up after the war because I thought I lost my _entire_ family, not even knowing I _had_ a daughter. You may have lost your parents, but you have a husband and a baby on the way. You still have so much to live for. There's no reason in the world that you should be laying on a grave crying your eyes out. "

His insightful words consoled her, even if they weren't entirely the truth.

"I'm not pregnant."

"That's too bad. Effie was so excited about it. Felt like she'd played an important role in initiating your marriage to the baker's son."

"Well, she did." Katniss almost added, _she forced my hand by threatening to call in the authorities_ , but she didn't because she could tell Haymitch was quite pleased with his daughter.

"Good, she'll be so happy. My daughter takes pride in doing a thorough job."

 _That was an understatement._

They reached a fork in the road. "This is where I turn off," Haymitch said. "You better get a move on."

As if on cue, another cold gust of wind swept past them.

"And sweetheart, if it bothers you that much, tell Henry about your mother's actions. He'll understand. His life has gotten quite full since you and your sister came to Twelve. I don't think he'll care how it all came about. Your mother may not have married him, but she gave him two daughters to love."

Katniss bit her lip and nodded. She set off down the road to the bakery thinking about Henry when she suddenly remembered the fight between Peeta and Cato. She'd run away from her husband when he was defending her from Cato's insults.

Peeta was good like his father. She needed to talk to him, explain everything. Tell him exactly how she felt about him. Maybe she could change his mind. She was so tired of keeping secrets.

She set off running. The fight must be long ended. Had Peeta returned to the bakery? Was he injured? Would he be angry with her for running off?

She ran faster. She stood on the bakery steps and pounded on the locked door. After a few minutes, her sister opened it.

"Where have you been Katniss? We were so worried."

"Where's Peeta?"

"He's upstairs. The doctor is tending him now."

"The doctor?" Katniss pushed past her sister and rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Peeta was lying on the sofa. His eyes were closed, but he was holding an ice pack to his swollen left eyelid. That side of his face was bruised, the skin a mottled red and purple color.

The doctor was speaking to Henry who stood close by. "Don't let him sleep too long. Wake him up every few hours, in case he has a concussion."

"I can do that," Katniss said.

Henry turned. "There you are dear. Did the police find you? They wanted to talk with you."

Katniss' stomach dropped. The police were involved?

"I put the supplies away," Rye called out.

Her brother-in-law was standing at the top of the stairs. "Hey Katniss, the police are looking for you. They want to take your statement."

"Why don't you go to the station and take care of this," Henry suggested.

Katniss followed Rye downstairs.

"What happened?" Rye asked when they got outside. "My dad said he sent you and Peeta to pick up the supplies. How in the hell did Peeta end up in a fight?"

She wasn't going to discuss the matter with Rye. "Where is the police station?"

"Just inside the Justice Building."

Katniss shivered as she set off in the cold. She wondered where her coat had ended up.

The officer on duty was only a couple of years older than her. The badge on his shirt identified him as Gale Hawthorne.

So this was Rory's brother. Katniss might have recognized him even without the badge because of his resemblance to Rory and the familiar, overpowering scent of his cologne. He reeked of it.

Once she identified herself, he started straight into questioning her.

"Is your husband prone to getting into fights?"

"I don't think so. We haven't been married long, though."

"Well, he's certainly a first-rate fighter. He came out in far better shape than his opponent. But we've persuaded Mr. Ableman not to press charges."

 _Oh, no._ She hadn't realized the repercussions of the fight.

"He sees the importance of keeping it out of the news as much as we in Twelve do. This incident would look bad for both districts, especially as Mr. Ableman was delivering the memorial stone for our train station."

Officer Hawthorne leaned forward to grin at her. "Tell me, he says he was a friend of yours in Two. Is that true?"

Katniss' face grew warm. "I knew him, yes, but I haven't seen him in some time. We didn't part well."

He laughed. "A former lover. Ah, I get the picture."

"We were never lovers." Katniss' voice was sharp, causing Gale Hawthorne to look back at her in surprise.

"Okay then." His voice took on a business-like tone. "Well thank you for your statement, Mrs. Mellark. We just need it for our records."

As Katniss hurried back to the bakery, bright lights were shining from the direction of the train station. She supposed Cato's co-workers were working late to install the memorial so that they could get back on the train in the morning and return home.

Once inside she found that Peeta had been moved to their bed. Buttercup was nestled at his side. Prim was fluffing his pillow.

"I'll take care of Peeta now," she told her sister. "And will you please take the cat out too?"

Katniss sat on the edge of the bed as Peeta lay with an ice pack on his head.

"Oh Peeta, I'm so sorry."

His eyes were closed. He didn't say anything and she thought he had fallen asleep. She reached out her hand and lightly ran her finger along the side of his face and under his jaw line, the rough stubble tickling at her finger.

His eyes flew open and locked onto her's. "Was that guy your old boyfriend?"

"Yes." Her face grew crimson. "You shouldn't have…"

"Katniss, you're my wife. He can't say those things about you. Not to the woman I love."

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Maybe Peeta _did_ have a concussion after all.

"You love me?" She could hardly choke out the words.

"Ever since I first saw you at the station. But I understand if you don't feel the same."

She heard the anguish in his voice and it tore at her heart. She'd been such a fool.

"I wanted to tell you…" he continued.

"Oh hush," she interrupted, as she leaned over to meet his lips.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Peeta wondered if he was dreaming when Katniss gently kissed his lips.

She pulled her head back and brushed a lock of hair from his face. Although her touch was tender, his skin was even more so, causing him to involuntarily wince.

Tears pooled in her eyes.

"Hey don't cry, it's not that bad. At least my dad and I match now," he joked in a vain attempt to cheer her up.

She gave him a weak smile, as she sat on the edge of the bed looking down at him.

He tried to parse the meaning behind Katniss' kiss. Did she have feelings for him or was it merely a thank-you because he'd stood up for her.

The fight hadn't gone on for very long. The stationmaster, along with a stout man who was in charge of unloading the baggage car had stepped in and pulled Peeta and the taller man, whose name was Cato, apart.

But in those few glorious minutes in the mud next to the train station, Peeta had released all of the pent-up emotions that he'd been holding back for days.

But it had come at a high cost. His head ached and the side of his face throbbed. In fact his whole body was racked with pain. The doctor had given him a pill. But so far Peeta couldn't tell that it was doing a lick of good.

"Peeta, I love you too," Katniss blurt out, answering his unspoken question.

"You do?" He could hardly believe her words. It couldn't be possible. Maybe he hadn't heard her right.

"Yes and I should have told you before. But… well, I knew you were stuck with me."

"Stuck with you?"

"I overheard Rye talking with you that day. And then Miss Trinket spoke of shutting down the bakery and putting your dad in jail. And I saw how you bent back the page on the marriage document when my grandmother showed up."

Peeta's head spun at her words. What in hell was she talking about? Maybe the pain medication was finally kicking in and making it hard for him to follow her.

"Slow down. You're confusing me."

She took a deep breath and explained everything in chronological detail, concluding by admitting, "I was wrong not to tell you."

Her words made him want to leap out of bed and choke his brother for the part he'd inadvertently played in causing a goodly portion of Katniss' distress, and yet it was Rye that had convinced Peeta to stop making excuses and tell Katniss how he felt about her. Did Rye's good advice make up for the trouble he'd caused? Peeta didn't know; all he knew was that he didn't want to fight anymore that day.

He nodded in agreement. "I had my own excuses too, my leg, and your old boyfriend, and the news about your granny… There's no point in it, us not being straight with each other."

"No point," Katniss repeated, giving him a shy smile.

He gazed at her like a lovesick fool, until Katniss blushed and looked away.

"Do you need to take off your prosthesis?"

 _Damn._ This was the worst possible scenario he could imagine to first reveal his disfigurement to her.

"Yes, but..."

"Might as well take care of it now." She reached for the hem of his pants to pull the fabric up.

"No, I need to take my pants off completely."

A lovely pink color crept up her cheeks. "Do you need my help in getting them off?"

He grinned at the thought. It was as if one of his wildest fantasies was coming true.

 _But still his stump…_

Before he could answer, Katniss had her hands on his waistband. With an efficiency that stunned him, she undid the button, pulled down the zipper and tugged his pants off.

Taking a few deep breaths to control the excitement in his body, he fixated his mind on the place where the silver metal joined the flesh.

He glanced up at Katniss to gauge her reaction.

A puzzled expression appeared on her face. "How do you take it off?"

"Help me sit up."

Katniss stood up and put her hand under his back to help him into an upright position.

Dizziness fell over him as his head went vertical. He shut his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them, his hands automatically flew to his prosthesis. With a few deft motions, it was removed. He handed the limb to Katniss, and quickly lay back down. The dizziness stopped.

"I keep it under the bed so I can put it on in the morning," he mumbled.

Katniss put it away, and then sat down beside him again.

"So now that you've seen my leg, you're not scared off?"

"No."

Still he felt exposed with the remainder of his scarred limb in full view. "I'm cold. Could you help me get under the blanket?"

He had to twist his body, turning half over to help, but she pulled the blanket out from underneath him and covered him with it.

Kicking off her shoes, she turned off the overhead light and opened the window, before climbing into bed next to him, pulling the blanket over herself as well.

They lay on their backs in silence in the semi-darkened room for a few minutes, until both spoke in unison. "I wanted to…"

Katniss stopped speaking and Peeta began to chuckle, turning his head toward her.

"Ladies first."

Katniss twisted onto her side so that she faced him before she began to speak.

"I wanted to ask you where you learned to fight like that?"

"I was on the wrestling team in school before I lost my leg. Now it's my turn to ask a question. How did you ever end up with that guy?"

Peeta couldn't see the expression on her face clearly in the shadows that the lights from the square cast about the room, but from the tone of her voice he could tell she was embarrassed.

"He wasn't like that at first, but then he got upset when I wouldn't do the things he wanted." Her voice shook slightly, causing Peeta to reach for her hand and squeeze it, glad to hear that the bully hadn't intimidated his girl.

"I heard rumors about him being with someone else and I didn't want to believe it, and then one day while I was out gathering plants I saw them together." She sighed loudly.

"I never told my mother or Prim. It was too humiliating. Besides he blamed me."

 _For cheating on her? Even Rye hadn't been brazen enough to try something like that._

"I'm sorry." Peeta wanted to reach his arm around her, but his ribs were sore. Instead he let go of her hand to run his own along her side, starting under her arm, moving to her waist, then slowly to her hip before stopping to rest at the top of her thigh.

"He…" she began.

"It's not important anymore," Peeta interrupted. "Don't think about it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Even though she was fully clothed, the pressure of Peeta's hand running down her side, made Katniss shiver.

They lay awake talking in whispers for almost an hour, starting with simple things at first, but increasingly delving deeper into their feelings. Peeta spoke of the distress of losing his leg and how it had caused him to give up on any hope of a romantic future.

"But what about those other girls you mentioned?"

"I kissed one girl on a dare from my older brother. The other girl kissed me to make her boyfriend jealous. But it all happened before the explosion. There's been no one since."

"Good," Katniss mumbled, pleased that Peeta wasn't a junior version of his brother.

While they talked, they'd unconsciously moved closer, finding excuses to touch each other. When Peeta confessed about his paltry romantic life, Katniss leaned forward to plant another kiss on his soft lips to erase any memories of those other girls.

Eventually Peeta dozed off mid-sentence. Katniss soon followed, but she couldn't stay asleep for long as she was concerned about Peeta's injuries. She woke up several times during the night to check on him, waking him with a kiss to make sure he was still breathing. As soon as he murmured her name she'd tell him "go back to sleep."

Katniss awoke with a start when the mattress shifted. The room was already light. Peeta was sitting on the edge of the bed attaching his silver limb.

She sat up quickly. "No, Peeta. You can't go to work today."

"I have to start baking. It's already light."

"Your dad and I will figure something out." Katniss jumped out of bed. "Please stay. I'll be right back."

She put on her shoes and left their bedroom in search of Henry. Her father-in-law was already baking. The first batch of bread was in the oven. The fragrant smell greeted her.

"Would you go upstairs and talk some sense into Peeta? He plans to come downstairs and work."

Henry smiled. "It doesn't surprise me. It's just his nature, but I'll talk to him. Stay here, the first batch can come out in five minutes. Rye will be here soon to help."

He left Katniss alone in the back. She put on an apron and waited five minutes before opening the oven to take out the trays.

She heard the front of the shop open. "Be careful there," Rye said as she set the trays down onto the corner of the table. "How is Peeta?"

"Achy." She didn't want to discuss Peeta's injuries with Rye, didn't want to talk about the fight at all.

Rye put two more trays into the oven and immediately slipped into his old routine. Katniss stood by watching him.

"Do you miss the bakery?" she asked, as he kneaded dough.

"Not really. It's kind of fun to learn something new. Could you get me the jar of candied fruits?"

As Katniss looked for the jar on the long shelf, Rye continued speaking. "When Brendan took over from his father, they made shoes for the entire population of Twelve. But in the last ten years or so a factory in Eight was built that mass-produces shoes. A lot of people in Twelve have been ordering the shoes directly from that factory, and using Brendan's shop only for repairs, and the occasional custom design."

She located the jar and brought it to Rye, who took out handful of diced fruits and mixed it into the dough he was kneading.

"Do you think you could get me some walnuts too?"

Katniss returned to the long shelf studying the labels on the jars.

"Delly thinks that her father made a big mistake by not acting as a middleman to the factory, selling the shoes made in Eight in his shop. He's losing a lot of money because he's behind the times.

"We're trying to persuade him to make a visit to Eight, check out their operation, and see how we can work together."

Katniss pulled the jar of walnuts off the shelf and brought it over to Rye. She was amazed at her brother-in-law's enthusiasm about his new career. He hadn't shown much interest in the bakery.

She found herself strangely envious of his newfound passion because it reminded her of what she'd missed these past couple of months; spending time in the woods and helping sick people regain their health.

Henry joined them. "Good, you're here Rye. Thanks for coming."

"I can only stay until ten Dad. We have a couple of repair jobs that need to be completed today."

"That's fine." Henry looked to Katniss. "I convinced Peeta to stay in bed for now at least. Why don't you bring him some tea and toast?"

"All right."

Henry cut a couple of slices of bread from one of the loaves that she'd pulled out of the oven and set it on a plate. He topped them with a dollop of butter. Katniss made a cup of tea, put everything on a tray, and carried it upstairs.

She met her sister at the top of the stairs.

"Is that for Peeta?"

When Katniss nodded, Prim spoke. "Take good care of him. I'm glad he beat up Cato. I never liked him."

The angry look on Prim's face surprised Katniss. She'd had no idea her sister had felt that strongly about her former beau.

"I have some breakfast for you," Katniss said as she entered the bedroom.

Peeta was fully clothed and sitting up against the bed frame. Buttercup was sitting on his lap, and Peeta was petting him under his chin.

"Time to go." Peeta gave the cat a gentle nudge and he climbed off Peeta and jumped to the floor, prancing out of the room.

Katniss set the tray onto Peeta's lap. He reached for the toast and took a bite.

"Your brother is here until ten to help."

"Don't let him decorate any cakes. I don't want to lose any customers."

Before she could respond, Prim was standing in the open doorway, hissing at her. "Katniss, you need to come downstairs for a minute."

"Okay."

Katniss hurried past her sister. She got to the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner to enter the front of the shop. Cato stood before her. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his arm was in a sling.

Katniss took a step back.

 _How had he gotten in? The bakery wasn't open yet. Rye mustn't have locked the shop door._

"What do you want?" Even though her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, her voice was surprisingly flat.

"Just came to see how you're doing before the train leaves. I didn't get a chance to talk with you yesterday because _your husband_ attacked me. Where is he? Still in bed? I guess I laid him up good."

Before Katniss could reply, a loud crash sounded in the back room and Rye burst through the doorway into the front of the shop holding a rolling pin.

He glared at Cato. "Get the hell out of our shop right now. Before I bust your other arm."

Cato took a step back at the sight of Rye, who was the same height. The smirk on his face faded.

Henry had followed Rye out of the back room. His eyes flew between Cato, Rye and Katniss. "We're not open for business. I think you'd better go."

"Looks like you didn't do so well in your last battle, old man," Cato said, insulting Henry's scabby face. "Are you planning to try to kick my ass too?"

"No, but Buttercup will," Prim blurt out.

Prim had come downstairs. She was holding the ugly cat; he was squirming wildly in her arms. Unable to contain him any longer, she let go, throwing him upward and outward in Cato's direction. The mouser leaped forward with open claws hitting Cato in the face.

Cato let out a howl of pain, and a string of profanities.

It was over quickly, the cat falling to the floor and rushing off to the back room of the shop.

But bloody streaks ran down Cato's cheeks where Buttercup had dug in his claws.

"Primrose," Katniss shouted.

"He deserves it Katniss." Prim scowled at Cato. "I know what you did to my sister."

For the briefest moment, Cato's mouth grew tight and a look of shame passed over him, but then he composed himself.

Katniss looked at her sister in surprise. _How had Prim known?_

A heavy tread sounded on the stairs. Katniss turned her head to see Peeta turning the corner past the bottom of the stairs. He flushed as he took in the sight of Cato.

"Katniss, take your husband upstairs," Henry said calmly. " _Now_."

Katniss reached for Peeta's hand. He took hold of it, but when she started to pull him toward the staircase, he stayed planted in place throwing dark looks at Cato.

 _Does Peeta want to fight him again?_

"I asked you to leave once before," Henry told their visitor. "Please do so now."

"This isn't the end of this matter. I'll be filing charges against all of you. I'll shut your business down."

Henry shook his head and sighed.

As Cato opened the door to leave, Henry called out. "Be sure to put some honey on those scratches."

Cato responded by slamming the shop door loudly, causing it to rattle in its frame.

"That son of a …"

"Get back to work Rye," Henry cut him off, and then turned to Prim. "I'd like to have a few words with you young lady."

Katniss led Peeta back upstairs to the living quarters.

"What just happened?" Peeta asked. "I heard shouting and then a howl and I was worried."

"Cato showed up and your brother threatened him, and then your Dad asked him to leave. My sister threw Buttercup at him."

"And I missed all the fun?"

A broad smile crossed Peeta's face and he broke into a low chuckle.

 _He thought it was funny?_ But then she started to laugh too because the entire situation was so absurd. Yet there was a kind of justice in it, too. Katniss had entertained a revenge fantasy after breaking up with Cato – wishing her father had been alive to beat him up. And now it had come true in a way, with all the Mellark men, the cat included, acting in her father's stead.

Peeta's laugher stopped as abruptly as it started. He held his hands to his ribs; his face was etched in pain.

"It hurts?"

"A little."

"You need to get some rest."

She led him back to their bedroom and closed the door. Peeta had just sat down on the bed with his back against the bed frame when a timid knock sounded.

Katniss opened it. Prim stood outside. "Henry said for you to stay up here with Peeta and tend him today."

"What about the bakery?"

"We've got everything under control."

"But how?"

"Don't worry Katniss. Just enjoy your day off. You'll be alone up here with Peeta. _All day long_ ," Prim added. She bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Katniss' cheeks colored at her sister's implication. Changing the subject, she stepped outside the room and whispered, "How did you know about Cato?"

"A girl at school told me. But don't worry. I never told Mom."

Katniss scowled, and went inside, closing the door. "Guess they don't need me either today."

"That's okay. I need you. Come over here. I have a present for you."

Once Katniss sat down next to him, he pulled a very tiny cloth bag from his pants pocket, handing it to her.

"It's beautiful," she said, as she pulled the gold band out of the bag and held it up. Tiny apples were engraved on the outside of it.

"Let me put it on," Peeta said. She handed the ring back to him and he placed the golden band on the fourth finger of her left hand.

She thanked him with a lingering kiss.

"I guess I should send Miss Trinket a thank-you card for making this all possible," Peeta said when the kiss ended.

Katniss snorted. "Actually Haymitch Abernathy is the man you should be thanking."

"The Mockingjay?"

"It seems that he told your father that my mother's photo was in Miss Trinket's book."

"Did my dad tell you that?"

"No, I heard it from the man himself." Katniss didn't want to tell Peeta the circumstances under which she'd run into The Mockingjay, and fortunately Peeta didn't ask.

"I knew there had to be a reason my father contacted The Capitol Matchmaker's Group. The whole thing was so out-of-the-ordinary.

"All right then, I'll redirect my thanks to The Mockingjay for finding me a match of my own."

Below them sounded the sharp ding of the cash register's bell. The bakery was open.

"Well do you have any thoughts about how we should spend our free day Mrs. Mellark?"

"You need to stay in bed and rest."

Peeta frowned. "Only if you join me. You can't have gotten much sleep. How many times did you wake me last night?"

"I don't know. A lot I think." She _was_ tired, though, and a nap seemed like a fine idea.

Katniss removed her shoes and climbed in on her side of the bed. She closed her eyes and was asleep within a minute or two.

She woke an hour later completely refreshed and slightly confused because the world seemed to have turned a golden hue. Peeta lay on his side, awake and facing her. He'd removed his outer clothing and his prosthesis.

She realized then that their heads were under the blanket and the soft light was sunlight streaming through it. The closed-in space smelled of frosting, and Katniss had the sudden, crazy urge to lick Peeta's bare chest to see if he tasted of it.

She didn't have time to act on it, though, because Peeta reached out his thumb and ran it lightly across her lower lip before leaning forward to claim it. She trembled as he sucked on it before drawing her into a deeper kiss.

Their time at the slag heap had been exciting, but the warm and cozy cocoon they'd created on their bed was far better, especially when she shed her clothes and felt Peeta's bare skin against her own.

Katniss took care to avoid further aggravating Peeta's injuries. But he certainly wasn't complaining, and he even took the lead. There were a few moments of awkwardness because neither had done this before, but the bliss that followed left Katniss breathless.

They fell asleep afterwards wrapped in each other's arms, and when they awoke ravenous for sustenance, Katniss put on Peeta's shirt intent on emptying out the refrigerator in the living quarters. It had dawned on her that she hadn't eaten since the previous morning.

However when she opened the bedroom door, she found that a tray had been placed in front of it filled with rolls, cheese, apples, and two bowls of savory stew.

She carried it inside to Peeta, shutting the door firmly.

"Look." She set the tray on the bed and climbed back onto it.

"You better take my shirt off, I don't want you to spill food on it," Peeta teased.

She rid herself of the garment tossing it onto the floor, and settled under the blanket with Peeta to enjoy their feast.

"You know we never had a toasting," Peeta said, picking up one of the rolls.

"Do you want one?"

"Of course, don't you?"

"I never thought about it. I know my parents had one, but it's not a tradition I grew up around." She looked at the roll in his hand. "Don't we need a flame?"

"Well, technically we do, but these rolls are still warm, so I think we can skip that part. He put out the roll in his hand. "Here take a bite."

She bit into it. The warm roll was filled with nuts and candied fruits. It was the dough Rye had made earlier. Katniss chewed it slowly, savoring it. "This is delicious."

"We make them special at this time of year. Now you offer me your roll."

She picked up the other roll on the tray and held it out to Peeta to take a bite.

He bit off a large chunk.

"You're must be famished."

"For you," he murmured, causing her cheeks grow warm.

"Aren't we supposed to say something to each other?"

"After we finish eating."

So they hand-fed each other, bite-by-bite.

"I love you Katniss Mellark," Peeta said when he swallowed his last piece. "Our marriage may have occurred sooner than I expected, but I know it would have happened anyway because I fell in love with you the minute I saw you."

Katniss grinned at Peeta's bold statement. After all her concerns about the state of Peeta's feelings it left her comforted.

"It's your turn now."

"I love _you_ Peeta Mellark. Exactly the way you are." She ran her hand lightly across the thigh of his severed leg. "I promise to do my best to make you happy."

"You already have." His eyes were watery when he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Katniss was ready to pull his face back toward her and continue the kissing. They could eat later.

As if reading her mind, Peeta spoke, "Let's eat first. We'll need our energy for the afternoon."

And he was right, she thought, as she lay spent in his arms, watching the winter sunlight disappear from the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next afternoon, the Mellark household sat around the dining table entertaining an important visitor, Mayor Undersee, the highest authority in Twelve.

Katniss' hand flew to her mouth to stifle a yawn. She hadn't slept much the previous evening, instead enjoying a toasting night filled with enthusiastic passion. Still Peeta looked fresh and alert. While she was pleased that the bruising on his face was already fading, it didn't seem fair. It was a good thing that it was Sunday and that the bakery was closed.

"So that's the culprit?" the mayor asked as he studied Buttercup.

"Yes," Henry said.

The cat was lying on his side on the tabletop in front of Henry. The creature's eyes were closed and he purred contentedly, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"I got a call from the mayor of Two a couple of hours ago," Mayor Undersea explained. "Cato Ableman's father is furious about his son's injuries. He asked that Peeta here be thrown into jail and your cat destroyed."

"What?" Katniss threw a worried glance at Peeta, who gave her a nervous look in return.

 _Was she going to lose him just when they'd finally come together?_

"They should blame me, not Buttercup," Prim exclaimed. "I'm the one who tossed the cat at Cato."

"Don't worry. I don't take orders from the Mayor of Two. I talked with Gale, um, Officer Hawthorne, about the incident at the train station. It's clear to me that Mr. Ableman's son sparked the initial fight."

The mayor looked to Peeta. "It's only right for a man to stand up for his wife."

He looked around the table addressing them all. "And if, after getting trounced by Peeta here, Cato Ableman chose to come to your place of business and further harass your family, then I believe he deserves exactly what happened to him."

"But what if his family wants to take the matter to court?" Henry asked, his hand rising to his temple. "Could he sue us?"

A judicial system that included courts trials and prison sentences had been implemented in Panem after the war. But going to trial meant a messy, expensive process that could bankrupt participants. And that was if both parties were residents of the same district. Things would be even more complicated and expensive if the two parties resided in different districts.

A sick feeling came over Katniss as she regretted ever having anything to do with Cato. Regretted that Peeta and even Henry might be affected because they stood up for her.

"Not likely," Mayor Undersea answered. "Gale Hawthorne is dating my daughter and I've already suggested he take all the police records regarding the fight and place them in the circular file.

"And if anyone in Two continues to press the matter I will personally make sure that Mr. Ableman is not paid for carving the memorial stone. The district has only given a small portion of the payment to him so far. I'd guess he'd like to receive the remainder of the balance. It's a considerable sum."

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief, appreciative that the mayor was making every effort to bury the incident. Still she was curious for his reason. "Why would you do all this?"

"My sister-in-law was in the final Hunger Games with Haymitch Abernathy," he explained. "She was killed by a tribute from Two. I've just never liked those people very much."

Katniss nodded, embarrassed because she and Prim had been born in that district. But maybe the mayor didn't realize that.

Mayor Undersee stood up. "I just wanted to keep you folks informed as to what's going on. Don't worry about it Henry. I've got it under control."

Henry thanked the man and saw him downstairs to the door.

"You're looking much better Peeta," Prim said. "My sister must be taking good care of you."

"She is." He ran his hand along the end of Katniss' messy braid. "I'm thinking it's time I go rest again though. I'm feeling kind of weak."

Prim grinned at Katniss. "You should join him. You look like you're falling asleep."

"I might," Katniss agreed, wishing she could stop her cheeks from heating up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta watched his wife sleep focusing on the gentle rise and fall of her breasts. He knew he should probably get some rest too. But if he fell asleep their time together, shut away in their bedroom, would be over all the sooner. In the morning they'd have to rejoin the real world of baking and keeping account books.

He'd never imagined that attacking Katniss' former boyfriend would bring them closer; he'd done it because it was the right thing never because he expected it would lead to this - the consummation of their marriage. He guessed he had a lot to learn about women, a lot to learn about Katniss. But he was off to a fine start.

He reached out for her hand and rubbed his thumb across her soft palm in a circular fashion. He yawned. Maybe he could take a short nap. Might as well be rested when Katniss woke up.

Winter came early to Twelve. But Peeta paid it little attention. The bakery's oven kept the shop warm and cozy and the living quarters overhead was plenty warm in the evening as the heat drifted upwards.

Besides his nights with Katniss gave Peeta plenty to think about as he decorated cakes during the day. It was more than a physical relationship, though; they had long conversations, too. He learned about her childhood in Two, and in turn he told her stories of growing up in the bakery. Every day he learned something new that made Katniss all the more endearing to him.

She insisted that they continue to play cards in the evening with his father and Prim instead of retiring to their room immediately after their evening meal.

"I don't want Prim to get any ideas about us."

"That we might be newlyweds?"

She pursed her lips and pouted.

"You're too pure," he teased her.

When she scowled back at him in mock anger, he reached for her face to kiss the scowl away. "But you're perfect for me Katniss."

Change had fallen upon the entire Mellark clan it seemed. His father had taken to giving dinner parties. Every couple of weeks he'd host another one. He'd invited Rory Hawthorne's family to one party, along with Granny Sae and Crystal. Both Henry and Granny Sae had spent the meal grilling Rory about his intentions toward Prim. Even Rory's mother Hazelle had a few words to say to her son.

After the Hawthornes had left, Prim had gotten upset with Henry and her grandmother, complaining that they'd embarrassed her.

"I want to be sure he's treating you right, and to let him know that you have family that are watching him." Henry replied.

"That's right," Granny Sae added. "We don't want you to pick a bully like your sister did the first time around."

Katniss' glare was as dark as Prim's at _that_ comment.

"Yes, everyone wants to make absolutely certain that you end up with someone as wonderful as me," he teased Prim, drawing dark looks from his wife and his sister-in-law.

Katniss complained to him about her grandmother's remark afterwards, wondering aloud how she had ever found out about Cato. But news about the fight Peeta had with Cato had spread throughout the district.

In fact, it was a source of pride for the residents of Twelve that someone missing part of his leg had bested a bigger man from Two. Without intending it, Peeta had earned the respect of every man in the district and the adoration of all the women who admired him for standing up for his wife. It was a kind of recognition he had never dreamed of receiving only months earlier when he thought of himself as a cripple who would spend his life sleeping on a cot in the bakery's office.

His brother's life, too, underwent a surprising transformation. Rye and Delly had persuaded Brendan to visit the shoe factory in Eight. Rye had traveled by train with his father-in-law and they'd returned with a contract to sell shoes in their shop.

Unfortunately a few days after returning, Brendan suffered a stroke. While he recovered a goodly portion of his faculties within a day or so, still Brendan found it difficult to traverse the stairs from the upstairs apartment to his shop below.

With Peeta's and Henry's help, Rye and Delly moved Brendan and Brigit to a small house in Town. Rye and Delly took over the running of the shoe shop. His brother built shelves along the walls to display the shoes that came from Eight.

And Henry added Brendan to his bakery delivery list, going to visit him every few days to cheer him up. Brendan's outlook improved considerably when the doctor slipped in some medicine meant to lift his spirits, along with the other remedies he was prescribed to aid his recovery from the stroke.

The dedication for the memorial stone had been scheduled to occur after the new year began, but the weather didn't cooperate. Heavy snowfalls brought the entire district to a halt. The train was unable to make it through. School was cancelled. Even the medicine factory shut down.

The only businesses in town that stayed open were those in which the owner lived above the shop. For about two weeks the bakery ran on part-time hours. When baking supplies got low, they had to ration bread to be sure that no customer was left without food.

Consequently Mayor Undersea postponed the dedication indefinitely, until the roads and pathways were clear to ensure a big turnout. February was muddy and March was rainy, but April brought blue skies and puffy white clouds and green shoots.

Finally the mayor declared April 20th , the four-year anniversary of the horrific event, as the day work would be halted in Twelve, and the entire district would gather together to remember the explosion and to pay honor to those who had perished in it.

"It's a fitting date," Henry said. "Too bad Haymitch won't be able to attend. I imagine being the Mockingjay they'd want him to say a few words."

"Why can't he come?" Peeta asked his father. He was mixing the dough for the morning's bread. His father was kneading the first batch.

"He'll be in the Capitol to attend Miss Trinket's wedding. It seems they've become such good friends that she asked him to participate in the Capitol's traditional wedding ceremony. He says he going to walk her down the aisle, whatever that means."

Peeta smiled to himself, wondering if he should tell his father Haymitch's secret. Katniss had shared it with him one evening as they lay in bed chatting. But she'd sworn him to secrecy, and he didn't want to betray her, even to his dad. He didn't want to do anything that would upset her, especially now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the day of the dedication ceremony, Katniss sat in the bakery's office thumbing through the plant book that had saved her family after her father's death. Maybe she couldn't restart her old business because of the laws forbidding competition with the medicine factory, but there was no reason she couldn't gather plants and make some teas to give away to family and friends. She'd already been out to the woods a couple of times with Peeta this month to gather some early greens.

Henry had suggested she start a garden behind the shop to grow her own medicinal plants. "You might not feel up to going out to the woods in a few months."

Peeta carried a plate with some bread on it into the room. "Are you better today?"

Katniss nodded, glancing down at her expanding mid-section. The queasiness had ended a couple of weeks ago. She'd nibbled on a lot of bread. It was the only thing that settled her stomach. But that seemed about right since the child she was carrying descended from a long line of bakers.

"Do you want to lie down and take a nap before we go? The ceremony starts at noon?"

"No, I'll be fine. As soon as I finish eating, I'll help Prim in the front."

She was about four months along by her estimation. She certainly hadn't planned to get pregnant so soon – she hadn't wanted people to think a pregnancy had brought Peeta and her together. But she'd done nothing to prevent it either.

Still the speed of it surprised her, especially when Delly was still without child and had admitted to Katniss that she'd never made any effort to prevent a pregnancy.

"Peeta must be like his father," Delly said, when she returned the spoon to Katniss. "Their mother had three boys - boom, boom, boom - as soon as they wed."

Katniss promised herself she'd wait a longer than the original Mrs. Mellark to continue to grow her family. She wasn't ready to turn her attention away from Peeta onto small children. They were still getting to know each other and it was such an enjoyable process.

She joined Prim in the front of the shop. A line of customers waited patiently, eager to purchase baked goods for the large family meals that would be consumed after the ceremony was over.

As the morning rush slowed, Prim remarked to Katniss. "Everyone seems so solemn today."

"That's because the explosion at the train station touched everyone here."

Peeta had begun to speak of the incident to Katniss recently. While she had had a slight memory of its occurrence, the explosion had been minor news in Two when it happened because on that very same day a celebrity couple in the Capitol had broken up leaving their fans in despair.

With halting words Peeta had described the horror of the event. He and his brother had taken the cart to the station to pick up supplies. His mother had come along to deal with the paperwork.

"Phyl and I were standing close together when the blast when off. But he died and I didn't."

Katniss throat grew tight as she thought about Peeta dying at the station. The thought of never meeting him pained her.

His mother had been buried under the rubble. They hadn't found her body for a few days.

"My dad saw Buttercup staggering around the site right after the diggers found my mother. The cat was half dead so my dad took him home to nurse. I think that was the only thing that kept him going."

It was no wonder that Henry treated the ugly cat with such compassion, despite all the trouble he caused.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ceremony opened with a moment of silence at noon, the very time the explosion occurred. Most of the district's populace came out for it. Chairs were set up in front for family members of the dead. The rest of the crowd stood behind, so far back that some were in the square. Speakers were set up so that the crowd could hear.

A podium had been placed close to the memorial stone. The mayor addressed the crowd from behind it. "We're here today to honor those citizens who lost their life in the tragedy that occurred in this very spot, on this very day, four years ago.

"The demise of our loved ones has left a hole in our hearts that will never truly go away, but we have found hope again. We have prospered, and will continue to do so."

Katniss' eyes wandered as the mayor spoke. Beside her, Peeta wiped tears from his face. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. When she let go, he gave her a grateful smile and gently rubbed her swollen mid-section.

Prim sat on her other side. Her sister kept turning backwards in the direction of the standing crowd, likely trying to make eye contact with Rory. Katniss threw her a dark look. She'd have to talk to Prim later. A somber event like this one was not the place for flirting.

Henry sat on the other side of Prim. His expression was similar to Peeta's, teary and serious. In his hands he held a large bouquet of flowers.

Rye sat beyond him. He was pulling out a handkerchief for Delly who was openly weeping for the loss of her brother. Brigit and Brendan were also wiping their cheeks.

A grassy lawn dotted with yellow dandelions lay behind the mayor and the memorial stone.

Katniss remembered the puff-balls that lined the train tracks as they'd pulled into the station the previous August. These yellow flowers were likely descended from those puffy spheres, the wind having spread their seeds far and wide.

And by summer, these flowers, too, would turn to puff-balls again waiting for a strong wind to send their seeds aloft. A shiver went down Katniss' back as she meditated on the brevity of the dandelions' existence. How many generations of the yellow flowers had come and gone since she and Prim had arrived in Twelve last summer?

Her thoughts grew maudlin as she glanced at the stone in front of them. Surely none of those people whose names were carved into it planned for their life to end that day.

The memory of her own parent's grave marker flashed into her thoughts and despair fell over her. She pulled Peeta's hand off her belly where it rested to hold it fast, wanting to anchor herself to this place and this moment, to freeze it in time so that nothing bad would ever happen to either one of them again.

But she knew it wasn't possible.

She listened half-heartedly as the mayor spoke, when a strange sensation occurred. A tiny butterfly seemed to be trapped underneath her skin. It darted from one side of her stomach across to the other, tickling at her.

 _The baby._ Katniss took in a sharp intake of air, causing the Peeta to turn to her.

"The baby," she mouthed.

A panicked look appeared in his eyes. He leaned his mouth to her ear. "Is something wrong? Are you all right?"

She twisted her head to whisper back. "The baby just moved."

His solemn face broke apart and a radiant smile appeared. Katniss put his hand back to rest on her stomach.

Her sharp intake of air and her placement of Peeta's hand caught the attention of those around them. "Is it the baby?" Prim whispered loudly.

Henry's tear-stained face turned toward them and his sad countenance disappeared.

"I don't feel anything," Peeta whispered.

"It stopped now."

It was probably too early for the others to feel the quickening of the life within her, but Katniss was grateful that the little one had picked that exact moment to make her presence known. She needed the reminder that life goes on. That it would be good again. It was the same message that Granny Sae and Haymitch had told her but it bore repeating on such a sad anniversary.

The ceremony was short. Afterwards, the families came forward to look at the stone and lay flowers in front of it. The Mellarks had already been to the memorial numerous times since it had been fixed upon the ground. But they came forward again at this official moment.

Henry laid the bouquet onto the grass. He kissed the tips of his fingers and rubbed them across the name of his wife, and then his oldest son.

The family stepped away to let the other families come forward.

"We should get back," Henry said. "I've got a lot of cooking to do." The Cartwrights were joining them later for a memorial dinner.

They pushed their way through the crowd, only to be stopped by a pretty, middle-aged woman with short, blonde hair who planted herself firmly in Henry's path. She looked slightly familiar to Katniss, likely a bakery customer.

"Mr. Mellark, we need to talk," she said catching Henry's attention. "It's about that cat of yours."

"Buttercup?" Henry raised his eyebrows.

The woman snorted. "If that's the name of that mangy, yellow mutt that lives in your shop."

"It is."

"Well it seems he's gotten my sweet little tabby pregnant."

"That's impossible; Buttercup lives indoors. He never leaves the bakery."

"That's what you think. But my kitty gave birth yesterday morning and the entire litter looks like your mutt."

Henry frowned. "I don't see how Buttercup could have done it. He never goes outside."

"Well if he's found a way out, it would certainly explain why he keeps getting fleas," Prim spoke up.

Prim and Henry had had to give Buttercup a few baths since that first one when the cat had scratched Henry's face and Prim's arm. Fortunately they'd managed to avoid further attacks.

Henry sighed. "Okay then. What do you want from me? Money?"

The woman looked aghast. "Why would I want money? I'd just like for you to post a sign in the bakery next month so I can find homes for the kittens. I don't need eight more. One cat is plenty for me. I don't want people thinking I'm crazy, living alone surrounded by cats."

"Eight?" Peeta eyes flew to Katniss' belly.

"Oh, no Peeta there's only one baby inside me," she blurt out.

 _Eight kittens. Was that even possible?_

"Yes I can do that," Henry said, relief spreading across his face. He paused before running his fingers through his thinning hair, and giving the woman a warm smile. "Do you have any plans for the evening? I'm hosting a dinner party. Perhaps you'd like to join my family and we could discuss the kittens."

The woman was speechless for a moment, but then a shy smile appeared on her face revealing dimples on both sides of her cheeks. "Ah, well, I guess I could join you for dinner. I think the cats would be safe if I left them alone for a couple of hours. I'm Daisy, by the way."

Henry grinned. "And I'm Henry. Well, I'll see you at four, Daisy. Just knock loudly on the bakery door and I'll let you in."

Katniss' bit her lip to keep from smiling and turned to Prim. But her sister wasn't paying attention; she was whispering something to Rory who was by her side.

Katniss raised her eyebrows and turned to Peeta. They shared an amused glance. Henry had become a second father to Katniss. He'd taken such good care of her and Prim and had even dismissed her extremely late, embarrassed apology about her mother's deception to him with a simple wave of his hand. Surely the man deserved to find happiness in love again.

"Well, let's get going," Henry said after he watched Daisy walk away. "I have big plans for this meal."

 **THE END**

 _Thanks to everyone who read this story and especially those who favorited it and/or left reviews. I appreciate all your support and your kind words. If you have any questions or comments about this story or any of my fanfiction, you can also find me on tumblr at MTK4FUN dot tumblr dot com._

 _I will not be posting an epilogue. I will leave the future of this universe up to your imagination. I will say, though, that they all lived happily ever after. And for you purists out there, I am fully aware that Maysilee Donner was not killed by a tribute from Two. That is my change to fit this story. In truth she was skewered through the neck by the beak of a pink bird._

 _I will now turn my attention to other writing endeavors. I'm working on a Rye Mellark/Delly Cartwright 1940s historical fic to contribute to stories2savelives. I'm also researching/writing an Everlark historical that takes place in Kentucky in the 1930s. And I'm editing a YA original fiction book with supernatural elements that I wrote immediately after reading_ The Hunger Games _trilogy. (I wrote it in first person present tense and it's going to be a bear to edit, LOL!) I'm also planning to write a couple of THG one-shots. I have some ideas… Plus there are a lot of fanfics I want to read._

 _It's going to be a busy summer!_


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